Community Matters--Supporting Our Pets During This Pandemic

Needs don’t go away just because we are staying at home for a few weeks. 

On Sunday, South Pacific County Humane Society opened Peninsula Pets Fund with Pacific Community Foundation. This fund was three years, at least, in the planning. Maybe more than five years. The Peninsula Pets Fund opened this week as it became clear the need was critical.  URL:   https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=1159

PCF had talked to humane society officers several times over the years about a dedicated fund. Helped them raise money to install a commercial washer and dryer last year—a big step for them, aided by retired architect and foundation board member Phil Allen.

The current situation:

But now, the need is critical. Donations to operate the no-kill shelter were dropping off as the pandemic intensified, shelter at home orders, and quarantines began. 

They need to keep the shelter open and operational, staff paid, animals fed and cared for. Provide veterinary care for animals in need. None of these needs stopped when human sheltering started. 

We use a great foundation accounting program called Community Suite, which takes new funds live within minutes of composing, which Kathleen Sayce did on Sunday, April 12th. 

By Monday, the humane society was spreading this link to the fund’s own URL:   https://spccf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=1159

They continue to promote their fund via the local paper, facebook and direct emails. This outreach matters—in the first week, more than 35 people made donations totaling $2550 to  the Peninsula Pets Fund.  

Wonderful!

The next steps:  Encourage people to make 
recurring monthly donations. 

Keep awareness up with ads, facebook and instagram posts. 

Personal emails. 

Personal thank you notes. 

Stories about how these donations helped animals find new homes, and especially helped people feed their own pets when they were laid off from their jobs. 

 

SPCHS is not alone:

Many important community services are in peril due to hugely increased needs. Pacific County is tiny, population less than 22,000 full time residents. More than 1,000 workers are laid off—a number we hoped would never be attained. 

The stay-at-home period will not last forever, long as it may seem to all of us right now. 

We will eventually have effective vaccines and enough shared immunity to have an open society once more. [I had lunch at Bridgewater Bistro in mid March, and remember wondering as I ate a delicious lunch (wild salmon BLT sandwich, a personal favorite), when I would be able to have this lunch again. I still do not know. No one knows.]

Planning ahead:

Now is the time to be thinking and planning.   Think about what a new improved humane society looks like, and how you can help. Think about recurring donations and endowments.

To those thirty plus people who made donations this week to this new fund, thank you!