Once you’re a small operation just like the Flat Rock Animal Shelter, each donation makes a distinction.
Katt Inventory, the shelter’s director for the previous 9 years, mentioned individuals of all ages periodically make donations all year long, typically in money however usually in meals and provides.
Such was the case a couple of weeks in the past when 10-year-old Jordyn Kopp went purchasing along with her mom, Tanya, to purchase canine and cat meals, in addition to different wanted objects to donate to the shelter. Jordyn raised the cash from a lemonade stand throughout a yard sale.
“My neighbor was having a yard sale and Jordyn requested if she might promote lemonade and water and use that cash for the Flat Rock Animal Shelter,” Kopp mentioned. “She hoped to get the eye of the consumers on the yard sale. This was profitable as a result of Jordyn and her associates would ask each individual they noticed if they want a lemonade or a water and the cash would profit the Flat Rock Animal Shelter.”
Jordyn raised $100, which she was actually happy about for the reason that quantity raised was double her aim of $50.
Previous to her lemonade stand, Jordyn and her associates steadily collected returnable cans and bottles that they dropped off on the shelter as a part of one of many animal shelter’s greatest ongoing fundraisers.
Inventory mentioned the animal shelter tremendously appreciated Jordyn’s donation, appreciation that’s proven for all donations, massive and small. Everybody who makes a donation to the shelter is given a thanks card as a small token of the shelter’s appreciation, and Inventory mentioned each time doable she and shelter volunteers prefer to personally thank donors.
Younger animal lovers usually categorical a need to volunteer on the animal shelter, however by regulation volunteers should be no less than 18 years of age. Nonetheless, Inventory mentioned she encourages youngsters and younger teenagers to become involved in different methods, corresponding to with fundraising. She mentioned teams like Boy Scout troops and the Junior Nationwide Honor Society have made donations prior to now, as produce other youth teams and associations.
The bottle drive that Jordyn and her associates participated in was an enormous success, due partly to the truth that it began at a time when shops had been prohibited from taking returnable cans and bottles.
“It introduced the most important donations ever,” Inventory mentioned. “Folks dropped off bottles from throughout Michigan as a result of they couldn’t take them again throughout COVID.”
The Flat Rock Animal Shelter is positioned on a small island within the Huron River, simply north of Huroc Park. Usually the shelter locations between 130-150 cats and round 60 canine into without end houses yearly, however that quantity might be decrease this 12 months.
The rationale for the decrease quantity has to do with the truth that the shelter was compelled to shut for 2 months, after a chemical leak was found within the river, solely about 50 toes from the place the shelter is positioned. Throughout that point, all animals within the shelter needed to be taken to different shelters, and no new canine and cats might be accepted.
However fortunately for all concerned, animals returned to the shelter in April and issues are again to regular.
Inventory mentioned that though the movement of returnable bottles and cans have slowed to a trickle in comparison with through the coronary heart of the pandemic, the bottle drive continues to be occurring for anybody who would nonetheless prefer to take part.
The Flat Rock Animal Shelter is lively on Fb and in case you observe them, they’ll usually let you realize once they’re low on a selected merchandise. An Aug. 7 put up confirmed a photograph of an almost empty container of kitty litter, stating they reached the underside of the barrel and would recognize donations.
Though Inventory mentioned she and volunteers take pleasure in assembly donors, donations will be dropped off anytime, even when the shelter is closed. Gadgets will be dropped off 24/7 at a donation exterior the shelter, positioned at 26579 W. Huron River Drive, or on the Flat Rock Police Division.
