It wasn’t long ago that Monroe County, one of the most impoverished counties in Tennessee, had no animal shelter. Animals were virtually a throw-away commodity. Strays were deemed a nuisance and sadly many shot and killed. It was not an uncommon sight to see neglected animals along side the roadways that had been run over through no fault of their own.

In 2004, a group of concerned citizens founded Monroe County Friends of Animals (MCFA). This group recognized this dire need and after consulting with the governing body, they were able to rent a deteriorating veterinary clinic to create a shelter. Last year alone, they were able to save over 2000 dogs and cats out of 6,000 taken in, and to shelter, foster and transport those rescued animals to their forever homes. This is a cause of great pride among our staff and a virtual army of dedicated volunteers.

Fortunately, the situation of abandoned animals has vastly improved over the past few years as animals make their way to our shelter, making for a much more livable community for both people and their pets.

But our current shelter only has 29 kennels, most of which are outside and exposed to the elements. There are days when the shelter takes in over 80 animals. Many shelters turn away animals when they are full; no dog or cat is turned away from our shelter.

As our current shelter continues to deteriorate, a new facility is vital to meet the daily needs of our animal population, enabling us to expand our programs, to care for these abandoned animals, and to find more animals permanent homes. At a minimum, they deserve that. Our ultimate goal is to become a no-kill shelter, but we cannot do that without outside support.

Other ways that MCFA is making a difference in Monroe County: Three years ago our organization formed Jr. MCFA in the local schools and began providing educational pet care programs to the children. We engage in many community events to promote responsible pet ownership and to reduce the indiscriminate breeding of the animals. We also support an active program that provides spay/neuter vouchers to low income families made available through Maddie’s Fund.

Due to the dire financial needs throughout Monroe County, we must raise the money for this new shelter through private donations and need outside assistance.

Please help us build a new shelter. Anything you would be able to give toward this cause would be so appreciated. Contributions should be made payable to Monroe Country Friends of Animals (or just MCFA) earmarked for Building Fund, P. O. Box 106, Vonore, TN 37885-2650. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Anja Hammersmith, founder of Monroe County Friends of Animals, at Anjakham@aol.com.

MCFA is a 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.