It’s almost National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week!

Shelter Appreciation Week is held the first full week of November each year, making this year’s event from November 7th through the 13th. The idea originated in Lincoln, NE, with the Capital Humane Society, and was picked up nationally by the Humane Society of the United States as a way to acknowledge and promote the contributions of shelters around the country.

This year, the Central Missouri Humane Society has already been able to contribute a lot to the community!

• Between January 1 and November 1, CMHS has taken in 5,133 animals, providing food, shelter and veterinary care during their stay
• Our amazing vet staff has completed hundreds of spay and neuter surgeries, both for the animals adopted from the shelter and for animals in the community!
• Quarterly vaccination clinics offered by CMHS administered 321 routine vaccinations, 30 microchips and 99 nail trims at an affordable cost for pets in the community!
• CMHS keeps extensive files of lost and found pets in the community, checking each day if there are matches to be made and lost pets to return to their families!
• Our food pantry has given out hundreds of pounds of pet food to families in the community who are struggling to make ends meet.
• And of course, we help families find their newest pet and our animals their ‘fur’ever homes every day!

Our volunteers and supporters are a huge part of our ability to provide services to our community! In 2009, our volunteers contributed almost 5,000 hours of support to CMHS, assisting with everything from special events to animal socialization! (At minimum wage, that's over $30,000 in support!) Additionally, donations from the community are a fantastic help – every pile of newspapers, jug of bleach and bag of kitty litter that is donated allows more of CMHS’s limited funds to go directly toward the care of the animals.

If you’re already a volunteer or donor, this week is as much for you as for us! We simply couldn’t keep doing what we do without your help. CMHS is able to keep its doors open because of you, and we’re so fortunate to have such a wonderful and diverse group of supporters!

If you’re interested in ways to offer support, consider these opportunities:

• Host a donation drive! Gather your coworkers, classmates or friends and collect bleach, kitty litter, durable dog toys, towels, blankets, etc. Every item donated is one less item CMHS has to purchase, helping us stretch our budget!
• Volunteer! We are always looking for great volunteers to help care for our animals, assist with special events and promote our pets!
• Adopt! If you’re looking for another pet, please consider the wonderful animals we have at CMHS. Your pet will come fully vaccinated, spayed or neutered and microchipped, all for an adoption fee that goes right back into the care of the animals!