Tupelo-Lee Humane Society feeling impact of more intakes, higher prices for supplies
The animal shelter's expenses have increased, while donations and gifts have remained steady
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The past two years have been tough on nonprofits, and animal shelters are no exception.
At the Tupelo – Lee Humane Society, the numbers of stray dogs and cats coming in are on the rise.
“We’re set to take in at least 4,000 this year,” said Director Rachel Allread.
And the price for supplies is also increasing if the supplies can even be found.
“Our spay and neuter clinic we have surgical gloves, that used to be, 33 dollars a box and now they’re almost 150 dollars a box,” Allred said.
While donations and revenue have been steady, the cost of providing services has increased dramatically. It has also been tougher to find employees, in a competitive job market.
“With our limited ability to be competitive with other businesses, corporations, and things like that, since we are donation-based, we are not really able to compete for payroll-wise with a lot of other organizations,” she said.
One of the ways the Humane Society is hoping to improve its financial outlook is through a relatively new program called “Paw Partners.” It allows people to sign up and make regular monthly donations.
“Giving anywhere from ten to 100 dollars a month, and every little bit helps. And we figure in the Lee County, Tupelo area, if we can get 3 thousand people give 20 dollars a month, we can sustain our ongoing and growing need at the Humane Society,” said Nelson Gravatt, president of the board of directors for the Tupelo- Lee Humane Society.
The Humane Society was also not able to hold several big, in-person fundraisers this year, that typically bring in tens of thousands of dollars. They hope that will change in 2022.
If you would like to know more about the “Paw Partners” program, go totupeloleehumane.org.
