Greetings from our Board President! “How are things?” “Are you okay?” I hope you have been asked these questions in the past month, and I hope you have people in your life that have listened and given their support and empathy. Here at the Humane Society of the Lakes, we have been reminded rather dramatically of how many people care for our organization, our staff and our animals. We have received several offers to foster from supporters new and old. We have received checks in the mail from people that have likely seen a financial hardship, and yet they choose to continue to share their treasure with us. We received a fabulous box of squeaky toys with the note: “Hang in there! You are all doing an amazing job! We are going to get through this!” It is support like this that makes our organization thrive even in times of uncertainty. We have been closed to the public and will remain so until the stay-at-home order is lifted. We have 25 cats and 7 dogs in our care. We have applied for the Payroll Protection Program loan, which would help keep paychecks coming for our amazing staff. We have canceled our Sisters & Whiskers fundraiser scheduled for June, and we are applying for grants and looking into online fundraising options to make up for a significant loss of income. We have our building renovation and expansion plans on hold, but have a final set of floor plans that we are eager to move forward with when the time is right. “Thank you” really can’t say enough for all those that have lent their support during this time. HSL appreciates you and wish you good health and happiness always. -Alissa Mork, Board President Adoption update January Dogs: 8 Cats: 12 Total adoptions: 20 February Dogs: 5 Cats: 14 Total adoptions: 19 March Dogs: 2 Cats: 13 Total adoptions: 15 April Dogs: 1 Cats: 1 Total adoptions: 2 You may have noticed the number of adoptions has decreased this year compared to previous years, this is due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Following our governing body's shelter in place order, we have made the difficult decision to close the shelter to the public and cease all programs, including adoptions, to encourage our adopters and our staff to stay safe. This decision became effective as of 03/26/2020. Additionally, on March 23rd, we and our PetSmart partner made the decision to retrieve the cats residing at the PetSmart location in Fargo, ND for their safety during this time. Even though our adoption numbers seem low, there's no need to worry. We have been spending extra time with each and every animal to ensure they receive exceptional care during their stay, and look forward to reopening once the Shelter in place order is lifted! Thank you! Thank you to Detroit Lakes Floral & Gifts, Mainstream Boutique-Detroit Lakes and Becker Pet & Garden for teaming up to raise funds for the Humane Society of the Lakes. With their close-out floral sale, there was a $5 donation from every order. We thank you for thinking about HSL and your willingness to always be our supporter. 2
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