deployment

$80K in Grants Allow Shelter to House Animal Victims

Bennettsville, South Carolina (May 24 – 25) – We’re excited to announce that $80,000 in grants provided by Greater Good Charities ($60,000) and RedRover ($20,000) will enable Humane Society of Marlboro County to be the first animal shelter in the area to house animal victims of domestic abuse.

Rescue Rebuild, a program of Greater Good Charities, and RedRover will create a dedicated space to house these animals. Rescue Rebuild has the expertise to lead repairs and renovations for domestic violence, homeless, and animal shelters in need all across the nation.

RedRover President and CEO Nicole Forsyth said, “Domestic violence survivors often delay leaving their abuser because they can’t take their pet with them. Building dedicated space for the pets of domestic violence survivors – whether it be in an animal shelter or a domestic violence shelter – breaks down their barriers and saves more human and animal lives.”

Over the course of two weeks, Rescue Rebuild and RedRover have been installing and creating the following:

• A 12’x30’ insulated and weather-proofed building
• Five indoor and five outdoor kennels
  • Each kennel will have a bed and dog door installed to allow the pet outside and into their own private outdoor kennel/relief area
• A double containment fence around the outdoor kennels with galvanized chain link fencing
• A furnished visitation room in the new building that allows pet owners to have a safe space to spend time with their pets. The room will include creature comforts such as dog beds and toys
• Two heating and cooling units

“I love that more and more animal shelters are evolving to take an active role in helping people in their communities by helping their pets,” said Bryna Donnelly, Greater Good Charities Vice President of Pet Programs. She went on, “Humane Society of Marlboro County is an amazing example of how collaboration is making communities safer for all their inhabitants both two and four-legged.”

Humane Society of Marlboro County Shelter Director Stephanie Jones said, “The Humane Society of Marlboro County is excited to be one of the first animal shelters in the region to offer a safe space for pets of domestic violence victims. Pets are family too, and survivors should not have to make the difficult decision to leave them behind when fleeing abusive situations.”

About RedRover

RedRover is a 501(c)(3) national animal welfare nonprofit organization. Since 1987, RedRover has focused on bringing animals out of crisis and strengthening the human-animal bond through emergency sheltering, disaster relief services, financial assistance, and humane education. Through their RedRover Relief program, they have provided more than $2M to support domestic violence survivors and their pets, have helped thousands of animals, and provided more than 420,000 safe nights of boarding. To learn how RedRover is building a more compassionate future, visit RedRover.org.

About Greater Good Charities

Greater Good Charities is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit organization, with a 100/100 rating on Charity Navigator, that works to amplify the good in the world to improve the health and well-being of people, pets, and the planet. Since 2007, Greater Good Charities has given over $300 million in cash and in-kind grants to over 5,000 charitable partners worldwide and funded projects in 121 countries. To date, Greater Good Charities has provided $23 million in support for COVID-19 disaster-relief, including cash grants, in-kind supplies, and programmatic support. To learn more about how Greater Good Charities is amplifying the good across the globe, please visit greatergood.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

About Humane Society of Marlboro County

The Humane Society of Marlboro County is a non-profit animal rescue organization devoted to saving, rehabilitating and re-homing abandoned and abused animals in Marlboro County, South Carolina. They operate the open intake Marlboro County Animal Shelter which houses about 1,500 cats and dogs annually. All healthy, adoptable pets are saved through adoption and a robust rescue and transport program which often assists nearby sister shelters as well. Community outreach services include TNR for community cats, low cost spay/neuter assistance, Pet Food Bank, and Unchain Marlboro. Visit humanesocietyofmarlboro.org to learn more.

# # #

To learn more about RedRover and its partners, email smadsen@redrover.org or call 916.600.8157.

To schedule an onsite visit May 24 – 27, contact Shelter Director Stephanie Jones at 850.596.9327.