Yesterday, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), America’s first humane organization, announced it would be providing a $100,000 grant to the Joplin Humane Society in Joplin, MO. The grant will support disaster relief and recovery efforts following the May 22 tornado that killed 130 people and displaced some 850 animals (including thesweet Corgimix in the photo atleft).
Thefunds will be used by the Joplin Humane Society for resources needed to support its operation and repair infrastructural damages to the shelter facility. Additional funding will be used for future disaster response and preparedness efforts in the community.
The grant is named in memory of Joplin Humane Society executive director Karen Aquinos step-daughter, Rachel Markham, 31, who perished in the disaster.
My husband and I are humbled and touched by this gesture, said Aquino. In the aftermath of a disaster like this, assistance from a national organization really makes a differencethey had the capacity to respond immediately and established a plan to help the pets and people in the community. We are grateful to work with the ASPCA in our efforts to reunite pets with their owners and help make families whole again.
Our thoughts are with Karen and all the people of Joplin who lost loved ones to this tragedy, said Joplin native Tim Rickey, the ASPCAs senior director of Field Investigations and Response. The Joplin Humane Society has done amazing work in helping pet owners and animals affected by the disaster, and we wanted to further support their organization with this grant.
As reported here, on May 23, at the request of the Joplin Humane Society, the ASPCA dispatched its disaster response team tohelp with theemergency sheltering of local animals displaced by the tornado. An emergency animal shelter was established the very next day. It’s locatedat 5171 North Main Street, in the old Dent & Ding building near the Joplin Humane Society; hours are 8 a.m. to 8p.m.seven days a week.
To date, the ASPCA has provided sheltering for nearly 850 animals at the emergency animal shelter and reunited more than 200 animals with their families. The emergency shelter continues to aid rescued animals and displaced pets in the community.
Rickey reported that hundreds of animals are still waiting to be claimed by their owners. We hope to reunite as many animals with their families as we can over the next few weeks, he said. And the ASPCA will continue to help as long as were needed.
Joplin Humane is working hard tokeep its web site up to date,uploading photos of all the pets brought to the shelter in the aftermath of the disaster. To see theanimals,or toreport lost pets or rescue needs, please contact the shelter at 417-623-3642.
