Heather Miller, executive director for the shelter, said last week that the HHS was the recipient of $84,000 from the Aaron P. Putnam Trust Fund. It is the single largest donation the shelter has ever received, Miller said.
“This was very unexpected,” Miller said. “I was standing in the post office with tears in my eyes when I opened the letter. We are so appreciative.”
The shelter has received some money from this trust in the past, but it normally was in the range of $1,000 and have used those funds to assist with heating oil or the shelter’s spay and neuter program.
“When we built the new building, we had a lot of donations,” Miller said. “So we only took a mortgage out on half of the total cost. And every time we have gotten any big donations from someone passing away, we have put that money toward paying off the mortgage.”
Miller said some individuals thought since they had a new facility the shelter was “rolling in money,” when the reality was the shelter always struggled, like so many others, to make ends meet.
“If we got behind, we were charged a late fee just like everyone,” she said. “We scraped by for quite awhile.”
The shelter’s monthly mortgage payment was about $1,000, and was the single largest bill the shelter had, Miller said.
When she found out the good news, Miller said former board members Cathy Davis and Dorene Humphrey, who were instrumental in helping the shelter get a new building, were the first two people she called.
“They were thrilled,” she said. “They were part of the original group that worked so hard to get this building.”
The facility opened in 2007 and was designed to be energy efficient. According to the shelter’s website, the mission of the Houlton Humane Society is “to prevent cruelty and to encourage and educate humane treatment towards animals. The shelter strives to aid and comfort strayed, neglected and abandoned companion animals. The shelter provides, without profit: care, treatment, food and shelter to all the animals in the facility. Our commitment to these animals is to provide, protect and promise to keep them safe until their permanent home is found.”
By eliminating the mortgage payment, Miller said the shelter will be able to funnel more of its income from donations and adoptions into helping more animals.
“We want to get all of our cats spayed or neutered,” Miller said. “Our goal is to have that done when they come in the door, that way we are not asking people to take on that expense when they adopt an animal. And maybe it will mean more animals will get adopted.”
