The Helen Thomas Howland Foundation as administered by the Community Foundation of Tompkins County awarded a grant of $5,000 to the SPCA of Tompkins County for operational support for the SPCA Annex. The SPCA Annex at The Shops at Ithaca Mall is a satellite adoption center which the SPCA opened in May of 2009.

At the time, the SPCA had no budget to operate the Annex yet worked with the Mall to open for two months and find out if it helped with adoptions during the height of kitten season. Since that time, the Annex has become an essential and irreplaceable part of the shelter’s daily operations. Over 1,150 pets have been adopted from the Annex, primarily cats and kittens but also dogs, rabbits and occasionally other small mammals.

About 3,500 people visit the Annex each week, helping the SPCA find homes for pets with people who may have never even been the shelter’s primary location on Hanshaw Road. Most importantly, the Annex has reduced the average length of stay of shelter animals, which increases overall animal health and reduces corollary veterinary expenses.

“This grant will help us keep the Annex open while we search for funding from other sources” says Jim Bouderau, SPCA Executive Director. “We’re starting a ‘dollar and a dream’ campaign, hoping that if even half of the people who visit the Annex each week give a dollar each time they visit, we will be able to keep it open indefinitely. It is so good for the animals to find homes faster and nice for people to have easy access to adoptable pets.”

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