MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – Safe Animal Shelter in Middleburg is thanking community members and people from around the country for their support.
Since April 16, when the shelter’s medical manager posted on social media a plea for help, more than $60,000 has been donated.
“Let me tell you, if it wasn’t for our community here, we would not be here. I mean, people came from all over the country,” said Sherry Mansfield, executive director of Safe Animal Shelter. “On Facebook, we are probably close to $34,000, and that was from Jessica’s plea. When you guys came to visit, all of the sudden, I think it said go to our website to donate, we probably had close to another $30,000 there.”
And people aren’t just donating money -- they’re donating their time too.
“We have people who signed up to foster, people who want to come in and volunteer. We got exactly what we asked for,” Mansfield said. “We have calmed down a little bit, knowing we can do it. I know we can do it. It just takes support.”
We would like to take this moment to thank all of our donors and supporters! This month has been a whirlwind of emotions...
Posted by Safe Animal Shelter on Saturday, April 24, 2021
Mansfield said the shelter lost about $100,000 to $150,000 from events canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The shelter has more than 500 animals looking for a forever home. According to Mansfield, the shelter spends anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 a month just on medical expenses.
Since April 18, more than 25 animals were dropped off at the shelter. The shelter said two of the kittens taken in over the last week were part of two separate instances involving people throwing the cats out of the window. News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said that if caught, these individuals could face animal cruelty charges.
If you would like to donate, visit safeanimalshelter.com.
