Tag Archives: Best Friends

Weeks after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New York and New Jersey, animal rescue efforts continue.

In the affected areas, shelters were hit hard with damage and loss of power.    And because people are busy trying to recover from the storm, potential adopters just aren’t coming through the doors like they used to.  Through donations to a range of charities such as Best Friends and the Humane Society, animals are being re-located to safer areas of the country for adoption.

Earlier today, for example, 60 cats and dogs were flown to California on a plane donated by Southwest Airlines.  Crew members donated their time and BP donated the fuel.

You can help The Helen Woodward Animal Center by making a donation in support of the Hurricane Sandy refugees.

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In other rescue news, the ASPCA has established a new emergency boarding centre in Brooklyn thanks to a $500,000 donation by television personality Rachael Ray.    The boarding facility will help families care for their pets because their homes have been destroyed or badly damaged.

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And the Best Friends Animal Society continues to help through grants to a range of animal welfare organisations in the area.  Here’s their latest update:

Thank you for the outpouring of support for rescue groups and shelters in need after the tragedy of Hurricane Sandy. Your generosity has been astounding.

Because of you, Best Friends has—in a very short time– been able to award nearly $50,000 in grants to groups in need throughout the region. Here’s just a sample of some of the organizations we’ve been able to help.

Groups like Liberty Humane in Jersey City NJ were able to get help after the roof of their kennel was blown off! They had no power for eight days, their medicines were destroyed, and despite it, they were working to distribute pet supplies to displaced residents in their area. Thanks to you, we were able to offer financial assistance to help them rebuild.

Groups like Little Guild of St. Francis in Connecticut who took in 88 animals from areas affected by the floods were able to get some relief from those extra costs.

Road Runner Rescue in Upper Fairmount, Maryland had rescued more than 5,000 animals from high kill shelters over the past seven years, when suddenly, all of their medical supplies were wiped out from the storm.

“The supplies we lost were not just for our animals, but we also share them with our local county facilities,” said Sue Nevins, Road Runner’s founder. There are a lot of homeless pets depending on us….Our budget is already very tight and we recently had a costly cat surgery that was stretching our funds. Thank you Best Friends for supporting us in our time of need. We’re all in this together and it’s wonderful to be part of a great effort to save more lives.”

All in all, 14 animal groups and shelters so far have received desperately needed assistance, thanks to your support of Best Friends’ disaster relief. Thank you for pulling together for all of the victims of this storm at a time when it means so much to so many.

We’re continuing to give out grants to organizations affected by the storm, and we’ll keep you posted as shelters and rescue groups continue to rebuild. Your kindness is truly appreciated.