Once again the BFHS Board of Directors and the Shelter Staff send our heartfelt appreciation to this community. The response to our plea for emergency funds was tremendous! We have made the $5,000 goal with a bit to spare (and roll over for next month!). Thank you to all who responded to our call for help, both here in our local neighborhoods as well as those from far away. Your support helps to provide kind and loving care; a safe, clean and warm place to sleep at night; fresh water and plenty to eat; and even more importantly – the opportunity for a loving forever home for companion animals in distress.
The Staff at the BFHS shelter and in the field do an amazing job with limited resources. They care for dogs and cats of all ages, and help with the birth of countless litters. They serve the community in all kinds of weather, at all times of the day or night, and whenever an emergency occurs. Animal control officers are care givers and life savers. They work long, hard hours under conditions most of us would avoid and at nearly any price. And they do their work with love and compassion for the animals, as well as courtesy and understanding for the people they interact with daily. Staff members keep the work going with the resources provided, and they do an incredible job of stretching those resources, but when the need arises, and a plea for help goes out, you respond – like you did this month. That response is appreciated more than you can imagine.
The road ahead for the shelter is not going to be an easy one. The demand for services and the number of animals in need continues to grow each year requiring more time from the dedicated staff, more miles on the road, more gasoline, more cleaning, more medications and supplies. As municipal budgets are strained and costs continue to rise, the responsibility for meeting these challenges falls back on the Board and Staff; in those instances we count on, and appreciate your support.
To help meet the expanding financial needs in the short term, BFHS has a vigorous program of fundraising events planned for 2015. We ask that you; our members, friends and neighbors support these events and also that you share the news of how BFHS is working in our community. The citizens and businesses of Worth County helped to build our shelter and they provide the base support that keeps us going. Options for long term funding are always a topic of discussion and we welcome suggestions from the community.
If you are interested in learning more about BFHS, or in becoming a member or volunteer, please contact me at 229.272.6200 or call the shelter. There are so many ways you can make a difference.
Your support, whether it is time, talent or treasure is always deeply appreciated and is never taken for granted. Again, thank you for your response to our recent financial crisis and for your continued support in the future.