SEMO Humane Society gets $70k boost to capital campaign

The SEMO Humane Society received strong support in its recent fundraiser for a new adoption center.

JSE Surplus and Purina combined for a $35,000 match as part of the shelter's #GivingTuesday campaign. Every dollar donated through Dec. 3 was doubled.

Funds are still coming in, but at a minimum $70,000 was raised between individual donors and matching funds.

The shelter announced the public phase of its $3.7 million capital campaign this fall to fund a new adoption center. Marketing director Jennifer Sokolowski told me Friday afternoon more than $1 million has already been donated, and the hope is to have 70% of the total funds raised by June when a ground breaking ceremony is planned.

Sokolowski said the matching opportunity was a big help in driving donations. "They just love that their money was doubled," she said.

The local shelter is not only seeing good monetary support but also an increase in volunteers. Sokolowski mentioned Vizient, P&G and Purina as three businesses assisting with volunteers along with fraternities and sororities at Southeast Missouri State.

Sokolowski said the interest in pets has increased, particularly for rescue animals, nationwide. Whether this is a new phenomenon I can't say, but clearly people are passionate about pets.

Consider the beagle-mix Narwhal who was recently rescued by another local shelter, Mac's Mission. The three-month-old dog received notoriety for having a "tail" on his head. Not only were people reading these stories and sharing them on social media, but Mac's Mission received numerous offers to adopt the puppy and even secured sizable donations to fund the adoption of other animals. A "unicorn" puppy with a second tail became an international star overnight.

"People are adding more pets to their home than they are kids now officially," Sokolowski said, referencing a recent national news story.

There's some truth to that statement, according to an April 2019 story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"About 84.6 million U.S. households have dogs, cats and other pets, while 35 million have children. And apparently we care for them just as much," wrote Linda Wilson Fuoco. "In a survey, 80 percent of pet owners said they care for their 'fur kids' as if they are real children and spoil them just as much."

As I wrote earlier this year, the SEMO Humane Society plays an important role in many Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois communities.

By contracting with the SEMO Humane Society, these municipalities are able to get animals off the streets and help them find a family. Plus, SEMO Humane Society is now considered a no-kill shelter with a 96% no-kill rate for dogs and 73% for cats.

There are still opportunities to support the shelter via its Facebook fundraiser or the SEMO Humane Society's website semopets.org. The shelter is always looking for individuals to adopt animals or volunteer.

Even with all the interest in pets, many still need their forever home. And there's no better time than Christmas to add a new "fur baby" to your family.

Lucas Presson is assistant publisher of the Southeast Missourian.