Help needed for animal shelter

I am writing on behalf of Safe Harbor, the only no-kill animal shelter in the Southeast Missouri area.

After overcoming our past problems and reopening as a much-improved facility, we have been operating with just the few tremendously devoted people who stuck together to get this all done.

We are in urgent need of more volunteers to help carry the load of caring for these homeless animals.

Everyone loves the idea of a place they can take their animals without the fear of them being put down soon after they walk through the doors, or a few months later if they are not chosen for adoption soon enough. We get calls from far-reaching places in hopes that we have room, but sadly, we have to turn animals away daily for lack of funds, help and space.

We only have a small crew of roughly seven to eight individuals who have committed themselves and their time, most of them have jobs as well, to keeping the sanctuary open and running.

There should be a community effort to ensure that our area continues to offer these services. It's a 365-day-a-year commitment to keeping our doors open.

Our hope is that the individuals in this community come together and accept the responsibility of caring for the unwanted animals.

Please call the shelter (573-243-9823) if you can donate even a few hours a week or month. Anything will help -- and if time restraints make it impossible, consider a donation. Together we can save lives.

Connie Schmidt,

Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary board president