Talk of the Town - Whitley County

(Talk of the Town photo by Jennifer Zartman Romano) The Whitley County Humane Society, below, announced that is facing a dire financial crisis and is in need of donations to remain open. Bright spots include the hiring of a new director and the award of a grant from the Whitley County Community Foundation.

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Public support is urgently needed to offset the on-going operating expenses of the Whitley County Humane Society.  
The Whitley County Community Foundation recently issued a grant to the Humane Society in the hopes of helping the non-profit animal shelter improve financial stability and offset the day to day expenses of doing business. The Humane Society is grateful for the Foundation’s ongoing financial and organizational support to help stabilize the ailing shelter over the past three years.  In December 2008, the Foundation provided funding, financial management, and technical assistance to the organization.  In addition to hiring a full time director, and re-organizing the volunteer board and by-laws, the Humane Society Board and community leaders took significant steps to restructure services and operations to minimize expenses. These measures included reducing paid staff, cutting public hours to three days a week and designing an annual fund-raising campaign.
“The economy has been particularly hard on our area’s non-profit organizations,” explained September McConnell, executive director of the Whitley County Community Foundation. “Last year’s campaign letter for support to the Humane Shelter brought in 50% fewer dollars than the year before. People who care about the organization and the animals have been pinched financially and don’t have the discretionary income to give. For an organization that must rely on charitable contributions, that kind of response can be devastating.”
In addition to donations, through its service of providing animal control, the Shelter has relied on partnerships with local government. Columbia City, Churubusco, Larwill and South Whitley have remained collaborative funders in their support of the shelter; however the County opted to withdraw financial support in 2008. “While the organization has always been challenged when it comes to fund-raising, we had a degree of frugal sustainability, but after the County withdrew its support, the Humane Shelter has continually struggled to find a measure of stability, often operating on a month to month basis.”
“Almost half of the monthly expenses of running the shelter are for payroll and the rest is overhead,” explained Mark Espich, board president.
"We’ve recently cut paid staff as much as possible and utilize a lot of dedicated volunteers and community corrections workers.  The Shelter gets a good quality, vet- recommended, food for free from Science Diet, but has to pay to cover freight. The real expense comes in the costs we can’t control much such as utilities and insurance,” he added.
“The good news is that people care,” said Espich. “We have hired a new director, Lindsey Pease, who in addition to her many qualifications, is also a vet tech. She is very knowledgeable in the field of animal health, in addition to showing great leadership qualities. Anyone who would agree to step in when things are toughest shows true dedication,” he added. Espich also nods to fellow Board members who have chosen to roll up their sleeves and work toward a solution.
The Whitley County Humane Shelter plays a crucial role in taking in an average of 24 dogs and 21 cats on a monthly basis. The shelter cares for these animals, often nursing them back to health. Last year the shelter found 384 new homes and returned 74 animals back to their owners. Without this service in our community we can expect more problems with ill, stray animals roaming the county and creating a nuisance, and fewer owners being reunited with their beloved pets.
Anyone interested in supporting the Humane Society has a wonderful opportunity to do so at the organization’s annual auction on Friday, May 6, 2011, at the Eagle’s Nest Event Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. A silent auction and live auction start at 7 p.m. Great food and camaraderie, in addition to wonderful auction items, will make for a terrific evening. In the past, the event has brought in as much as two month’s worth of operating support. Anyone who would like to provide immediate assistance can claim their contribution as a tax deduction.
Checks can be mailed to: The Whitley County Humane Society, 951 South Line Street, Columbia City, IN 46725.