by Cathy Davis
A couple of weeks ago I shared the annual income and expense report with you and if you noticed, Houlton Humane’s expenses exceeded our income by thousands of dollars. While we do receive financial support from our member towns, this covers just a little over half of our operating budget. The rest comes from donations, bequests, fundraisers and special projects.
VISITORS — Silent Sidekicks founder and president Danielle Ireland, left, and therapy dog Morgan pause outside the room of a patient eager to meet them during their inaugural visit to Gardiner Health Care Facility on Valentine’s Day. To learn more about Silent Sidekicks’ Animal-Assisted Therapy and children’s reading programs around the community and state visit info@silentsidekicks.org. It’s always exciting when a new fund raiser comes along, something to spark some interest in doing a little bit to help the animals who are lost and alone and whose only hope is the loving care of the shelter staff.
It’s especially exciting when the project also helps the environment. So I’m pleased to tell you that our recycling program that originally included beauty product containers (such as make-up bottles and jars, shampoo and conditioner bottles, body wash and hand soap bottles) is now expanded to include the following: yogurt tubs and lids, butter and margarine tubs and lids, cream cheese tubs and lids, cheese, sour cream and whipped topping tubs and lids. Also pudding cups and foil lids and plastic ice cream tubs and lids.
These items are usually not number two recyclable plastic so how exciting is it that you can find a way to recycle even more of your plastic items and help a non-profit in the process.
Please help us out and wash these before you donate them. My suggestion would be to keep a box somewhere out of the way and when you have a box full of these plastics, drop them off at either the animal shelter or the Varney Agency (across from Tim Horton’s). If you know a board member or volunteer at the shelter, I’m sure one of them would be glad to take your items also.
When I go to Weight Watchers meetings, I am delighted to take donations. People see me in various meetings, in the store, they stop by the office, I am the official bag lady, and proud to be, never hesitate to ask me to take a bag of your fundraising items. I love being part of this project. It inspires me to recycle more and it tickles me to see how many people think of the shelter every time they empty a container.
WARM HEARTS — Silent Sidekicks founder and president Danielle Ireland, left, and Morgan, along with Suzanne Costallos and Harley, warmed the hearts and brought smiles to the faces of patients and staff alike during their inaugural visit to Gardiner Health Care Facility on Valentine’s Day. To learn more about Silent Sidekicks’ Animal-Assisted Therapy and children’s reading programs around the community and state visit info@silentsidekicks.org.
No rescue can survive in a vacuum. We are part of our community in so many ways, from our far reaching efforts to save the lives of animals to our elementary school educational program where our director can speak to classrooms of children about humane treatment of animals, we are out there with you every day and you are with us. We feel that connection and we are proud to be your partner in this never ending battle to save just one more.
From the kitty who was abandoned outdoors and lost his little tail to frostbite, thank you to our loving foster mom who cared for him until he was well enough to be listed for adoption.
From the little blind kitty, whose time was running out in another facility, thank you to our loving shelter director for not only saving her life but for taking her home to be part of her growing family.
From the animals rescued from the home of the hoarder, so sick, dirty, infected with fleas and matted, thank you to the staff who works with them to socialize them, clean them up, get them the veterinary treatment they need, and ready for adoption.
But mostly, to the hundreds of families who have adopted from the shelter this past year, and the thousands who have adopted in years prior, thank you for recognizing that shelter pets are not second class. They are not “just a pound puppy”, they are not less valuable than a high-priced puppy mill purebred – they are the very best pets.
Thank you for coming to our fundraisers, for mailing in your donation checks, for remembering us in your wills, for dropping off the bleach and paper towels, for fostering and for transporting and sometimes just for listening.
Thank you for taking the time to sort your plastics so that your discarded items can be used to raise funds, thank you for coming to our dinners, our yard sales and our carnivals.
There are thousands of you out there doing your part so that we can do our part, one animal at a time, one day at a time. Let’s save just one more today, just one more. With your help, we can do it.
