JOIN A CELEBRATION OF MISSION WORK: The Raleigh Rescue Mission will hold its Downtown Raleigh Festival of Hope from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the mission, 314 E. Hargett St. in downtown Raleigh. The festival will include carnival games and inflatables, live Christian music, inspirational dance and drama performances and the Bouncing Bulldogs Grand Nationals 2007 Jump Rope Team.

Other activities include puppet shows, face painting, free food, an international food-tasting expo and local artist exhibits. At 11:30 a.m., the festival will hold its annual Big BBQ Showdown contest. Tours of the mission will be conducted every half-hour. The mission holds the festival each year to thank the community for supporting its homeless programs.

ADOPT A PET: Paw Prints Animal Rescue, a nonprofit group helping to find homes for homeless pets, will hold an adopt-a-thon at 11 a.m. today at the PetSmart at Garner Town Square, at N.C. 70 and Timber Drive in Garner. Animals up for adoption will include dogs, puppies, cats and kittens. For more information go to www.pawprintsrescue.org.

Check out more ways to help at share.triangle.com. For more information, contact Becky Beach at 829-4629 or becky.beach@newsobserver.com, or mail your event to The News & Observer, 215 S. McDowell St., Raleigh, NC 27601.