Yesterday I had the pleasure of touring a new animal rescue/rehab center in our county. It was open to the public.
The facility used to be a no-kill shelter that went bankrupt nearly 5 years ago and was abandoned since then. The Brandywine Valley SPCA which operates our local animal shelter purchased the facility at auction a few months ago and plans to open it as a rescue/rehab facility.
Dogs and cats picked up as strays, surrendered by owners, or rescued from natural disasters and hoarding environments usually end up at shelters for adoption. But some of these animals need medical attention, nutrition therapy, and behavioral modification to become adoptable. This process can takes several weeks to several months. So that's what this new rescue/rehab center will be used for; to bring these animals back to healthy, adoptable pets which will then be adopted from the regular shelter. It will not be an adoption center nor will it be open to the public, so this was pretty much the only opportunity to get a look at it in person.
Here's a photo of the facility as well as an aerial shot.
Its quite a distinctive-looking building. But since it was designed to be a shelter, the tour guide said they really don't need to do any retrofitting of the building to accommodate their use of it.
There's even a central courtyard which will likely become a play or training area.
The interior is kind of industrial looking, with exposed HVAC ducts and concrete floors.
These siblings were present for the tour, although the facility is not yet operating. They were so cute and friendly I wanted to take all 3 home with me.
Then there was this adorable Chihuahua mix named Johnny Pickles. He'd recently been adopted from the main shelter. I wanted to take him home too.
This rescue/rehab facility plans to partner with other shelters to accept animals from outside the local area (other states, etc) when there is a special need like hurricanes, floods, and extreme hoarding environments to help get them healthy and adoptable. This facility should be able to do what many regular shelters can't, so I am really excited its located near me, and plan to donate to its success.
The Brandywine Valley SPCA still needs to raise more funds to bring the formerly abandoned building back to operational condition and support their other activities related to this, so if you feel inclined to donate CLICK HERE. For larger donations you can even name areas of the facility after a beloved pet or person!
Yesterday I participated in Giving Tuesday. What's that?? you might ask.
"Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. (I saw several posts on Facebook reminding me of this.) Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and
the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their
holiday and end-of-year giving." This is from the official website.
I always like to give locally so the help remains in my community, so on Giving Tuesday I gave donations to my local SPCA and to a local Veterans Service Dog Initiative. Our precious Marvin came from the SPCA, which rescues, cares for and places abandoned and surrendered pets. The Service Dog Initiative procures and trains dogs to be companion/service animals for veterans with PTSD. I felt that both were worthy recipients of my help.
As I do every year, I also donated shelf-stable food and household items to local organizations. I don't bring this up because I want recognition or praise, or because I'm rich. Far from it. I bring this up because much of this kind of giving/help can be done anonymously, and because I'm not rich. But even a few dollars given by many people can change a person or animal's life.
Whether on Giving Tuesday or on any other day of the year, I challenge you to seek out ways to give a little so you can help make a big impact. You'll be glad you do! And when you do, please share your experience with others in order to inspire a domino effect of giving, making your community and the world better, 1 dollar or 1 can of food at a time.
At this time of year there are lots of opportunities to help those less fortunate. I shy away from 'national' charity organizations as I'm never sure how much of the money goes to the actual 'cause' and how much pays for CEO salaries, so I try to give and act locally.
I usually reserve some time to shop and wrap Christmas gifts for the needy, donate canned and dry goods to the local food bank, and purchase a few toys for the local Toys for Tots drive. In addition to those things, I tried something new and different this year.
When inviting friends to our tree trimming party, I shared that we would be accepting donations for the Delware SPCA. I suggested that my friends take this opportunity to de-clutter their linen closets and donate unneeded towels, blankets, etc. I also included a link to the SPCA's "wish list". I came up with this idea when I realized that our local shelter receives NO federal funding and that it provides its rescue, care, and adoption services primarily from local donations. Our wonderful Marvin came from this very shelter, so I decided to help give back.
My friends really came through! We collected cash, lots of towels, blankets, brushes, toys, bathroom rugs, bags of food and treats, food/water bowls, and even a plastic kiddie pool. I was so pleased with the response! It really warmed my heart.
Next it was my turn. I went through the laundry room and gathered 24 towels, 2 blankets, 4 bathroom rugs, and 6 bed sheets I could live without. (Most were from when we used to have a beach house.) The donations filled the cargo area AND back seat area of my SUV! When I asked the shelter volunteers for some help unloading they were amazed at the volume of useful items which would serve a much greater purpose at the shelter than in our laundry rooms and linen closets.
This cost me literally nothing but the time to sort, pack and deliver the items that were just taking up space in our home, but I felt so good when I experienced the gratitude of the volunteers for the donations. So I encourage all of you to consider doing something similar. The next time you host a birthday party, suggest that party guests bring donations for the local charity of your choice. A small effort and cost for us can have a huge impact on those less fortunate.
