Great Bend – On July 10, 2017, the Golden Belt Humane Society graciously received an “operations grant” in the amount of $28,216.00 from PetSmart Charities; the leading funder of animal welfare in North America. The new grant will help with the daily operations and much needed feline kennel improvements of the Golden Belt Humane Society shelter. Thus allowing Golden Belt Humane Society to continue their efforts to support and save local shelter cats waiting to find forever homes and families.
According to Heather Acheson, the director of Golden Belt Humane Society, “PetSmart Charities Shelter Operations
Grant”, as intended, will enhance the lives of each and every cat that stays at the shelter until a forever home is found.
The PetSmart Charities Operation Grant will help to replace the current feline kennels with stainless steel kennels that
provided a larger area for living with a separate area for a private bed and litter box. The current kennel system is
comprised of fiber glass and aluminum materials, which harbor unwanted bacteria and other organism’s paramount to an unhealthy type environment. The space is small and shared with a litter box, food and water dishes along with
sleeping space. The amount of strays or unwanted cats taken in each year (nearly 600 cats in 2016) is staggering. Cats can carry many different diseases and fiberglass kennels are not an ideal setting. The new stainless-steel kennels will help prevent the spread of diseases, will ensure a safe, more sanitary and a suitable living environment during cats stay at the shelter.
Funding for general shelter operations can be scarce for animal welfare organizations. This is one of the reasons
PetSmart Charities identified this as an area of great need and developed. The new area of the “Operations Grant” for
adoption partners and grantees is just one of ten grant categories designed to support animal welfare organizations.
It is also part of PetSmart Charities newly expanded mission to find lifelong loving homes for all pets by supporting
programs which bring people and pets together. Funding from PetSmart Charities supports best practices which in turn help pets thrive in a shelter environment, offers funding for shelter-based programs, improves adoption success,
reduces pets’ length of stay and strengthens shelter infrastructure.
About Golden Belt Humane Society
The Golden Belt Humane Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals, to
educate and promote the betterment of all animals, and to provide shelter for unclaimed/unwanted animals. Golden
Belt Humane Society serves the Great Bend, Ks and Barton County community.