Give the Gift of Consistent Care With Your Monthly Donation
Dear friends of the animals,
There’s no gentle introduction to this letter that adequately addresses its critical nature, so I’ll get right to the heart of the matter: Whatcom Humane Society is facing an extremely tough financial year. Costs have increased substantially for everything required to operate our three shelters, and the number of surrendered, stray, injured, and orphaned animals in need of care only continues to climb.
As an open-admission shelter, we remain steadfast in our commitment to never turn an animal away—and because this is true, we are calling for your help now and in the difficult days to come to fulfill our mission as effectively, resourcefully, and well-equipped as we can.
Your contributions provide for animals like Mokka, a sweet seven-year-old pup who was surrendered to WHS from another county when local agencies were unable or unwilling to take her in. Afflicted with urinary issues related to being used as a breeder dog, Mokka arrived at our shelter sporting a diaper and a distinct dislike for other animals—but with the biggest grin and wiggly body for every single person she met.
Despite how humans treated her in the past, Mokka’s heart holds nothing but love and the desire to please people. And thanks to resources made possible by community members like you, she was able to decompress, receive compassionate care, make many new friends, and, at long last, take her place as copilot in her new mom’s car for her best adventure yet.
I recognize this is a time of economic uncertainty for so many of us, which is why I want to take a moment today to highlight WHS’s monthly giving program and humbly ask if you can start or increase your recurring donation. Big or small, your monthly gift helps them all!
When you establish an ongoing donation to the Whatcom Humane Society, you are joining us in a pledge to be there for domestic, farm, and wild animals across our region and beyond—no matter the time, no matter the need. You are saying “yes” to animals like Manny, a freckle-nosed elderly feline looking for a calm home to spend his golden years. Manny came to us after narrowly avoiding owner-requested euthanasia for litterbox issues brought on by a new cat in the home. Surrendered to WHS during the height of kitten season, he waited patiently for his person to find him amid the overwhelming sea of adolescent meows—and when she did, Manny shared his finest purrs, softest nose kisses, and that quiet, gentle love senior cats know best.
In support of Mokka, Manny, and so many other animals in need, your gift allows us to nimbly respond to the calls of our community by:
- Providing 24/7 animal rescue services: WHS animal control officers are available at all hours of the day, every day of the year, fielding more than 2,800 requests for animal welfare assistance in 2024.
- Delivering life-changing care to any animal in need: Each year, our domestic animal shelter, farm facility, and wildlife rehabilitation center provide service to over 5,000 animals, including year-to-date aid to more than 2,202 companion and farm animals and rehabilitation efforts for approximately 1,506 wild animals. No animal is ever denied our help.
- Advocating for a kinder world for animals: Our humane education and outreach programming provides knowledge, resources, and new perspectives on animal welfare to build a community centered in kindness and respect for all animals.
- Strengthening our core shelter services: Our staff and volunteers work tirelessly seven days a week to provide compassionate care to each and every animal that comes through our doors, including a comfortable and clean place to rest; a full belly; medical and rehabilitative care; and daily enrichment through walks, playtime, socialization, training, natural habitat enclosures, and more.
- Bringing families together: Whether through adoptions, reuniting animals with their guardians, or post-rehabilitation wildlife releases, our work honors the fundamental drive toward home that lives within all beings.
Each day at the Whatcom Humane Society is anything but routine. Some cold winter mornings find us caring for a litter of kittens abandoned in a cardboard box outside our front doors. Some stormy fall nights see us luring a runaway cow into a makeshift enclosure in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Any number of spring and summer afternoons are filled with specialized care for a medley of orphaned wildlife babies. There’s little predictability to the work we encounter daily—but with your partnership, there can be reliability in the funding we have available to answer these calls for help.
The animals rely on us to be there when they need it, and your monthly gift means we can count on you, too. Please don’t delay: Give the help and hope we need with your new or increased monthly donation. On behalf of all the animals that benefit from your kindness and support, thank you so much.
With respect and gratitude,
Laura Clark, Executive Director
(360) 733-2080, ext. 3026; director@whatcomhumane.org
P.S. It’s quick, simple, and secure to sign up online as a monthly donor! We also greatly appreciate any one-time donations you are able to make.