By ED BALDRIDGE
ed.baldridge@newssun.com
SEBRING -- The Highlands County Humane Society announced on Thursday that it has cut services due to a lack of funding.
"The Humane Society is a non-profit, no-kill shelter which exists 100 percent on the donations of the people of this county. This 60-year-old facility is now in serious financial trouble due to the decline of donations and the increase of the dog and cat population," wrote Board President Barbara Clark in an open letter to the press and supporters.
"Even though the Humane Society is the only one of its kind in this county, we find ourselves in the position of having to reduce services, or worse, close our doors. It comes down to whether or not the people of this county are willing to be a part of this solution," Clark said. "We are not asking anyone to divert their charitable donations away from the organizations they currently support, but look and consider ways in which a donation can also be given to the Humane Society."
"I hope this only lasts trough the summer," Clark said on Thursday.
The Humane Society does not receive funding from the county, state, or federal government, according to Clark.
"A lot of people have the misconception that we receive funding from the county or a national organization. That's not true. If you do not spend your donations locally, we do not see any of it," Clark commented.
Effective July 5, the Humane Society will cut the hours its open to the public to just three days a week.
The Society will only be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Society will also reduce the amount of animal intake, including dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens, and will close out the kennels as adoptions occur.
But the feral cat catch and release spay/neuter program will remain in place with the cost for reduced to $25.
"We realize that this will cause some heartache and distress to the community and we will return to business as usual once our financial situation improves. We need everyone in the county to help us," Clark wrote.
Clark stated that donations of cash were what was needed right now.
"We have a surplus of food. Since times are tough, everyone is giving food, and we have plenty," she said. "What we are trying to do is cut the biggest part of our pie, which is payroll and medical care. If we can trim those two back by taking in less and cutting out 50-60 hours per week of payroll, the that will take a lot of burden off of us," she added.
"If we cannot come together and save this shelter, we all lose a little bit of our humanity," Clark said.
The Humane Society of Highlands County is located at 7321 Haywood Taylor Blvd. in Sebring. The telephone number is 655-1522.
"Get involved, and become a member. If everyone just spared $10 per month, we would not have a problem right now," Clark said.
Friday, June 25, 2010 - www.newssun.com/0625-eb-humane-society