To our Members, Donors, and Supporters—

 

We are writing to announce that Providing Essentials for Tehama Shelter (PETS) will cease operations as of December 31, 2023.  The founding mission for our organization, helping the Tehama County Animal Care Center grow into a thriving, respected, full-service animal shelter, has long been met.  The truth is, thanks to the commitment and hard work of its management, staff, and volunteers over the last decade, the Shelter has become much more self-sufficient and no longer requires the level of support we were founded to provide.

 

When PETS was formed in 2011, the Tehama County Animal Care Center (TCACC) was a small, under supported county department most widely referred to as “the pound.”  As a county agency, it faced perennially restrictive budgets and was limited both in physical space and in how it could advertise the vital services they provided.  The Shelter director at the time,  Mark Storrey, reached out to the community for help with fundraising, marketing, volunteer coordination, animal transport—everything necessary for the Shelter to provide compassionate care and, eventually, a loving, forever home for the animals under its charge.

 

With their passion for animals and community service, Sharon Russell and Kerri Lovvorn created PETS as a way to answer Mark’s call for help, and in those first few years, provided whatever assistance the Shelter needed.

 

We raised money for urgent medical needs, supplies, as well as to help shape the physical space (kennels, outdoor areas, etc.).  PETS hosted events and took every opportunity to raise community awareness of the TCACC, its more immediate needs, and the animals it served.

 

Most of all, with the animals as the driving force—and knowing that they were the true stars—PETS sponsored numerous adoption events to help bridge that connection between the Shelter and the community.  This included not just public showings, but also monthly advertising in the local newspaper, regular online videos featuring current animals, and the sponsoring of several adoption programs that greatly reduced the public’s cost to adopt an animal out of the Shelter.

 

Over the years, as the Shelter grew both in size and reputation, the nature of our assistance to them shifted, with PETS’ support largely being that of cash contributions to help with their medical fund, including spaying and neutering costs as well as urgent needs of individual animals.  While there have been instances of specific requests—Kuranda dog beds in 2016, washing machine (2019), cat condos (2020), flea and tick medication (2022), and various Shelter and medical supplies regularly throughout the years—as well as help with transporting animals to and from rescues and veterinary hospitals, the TCACC has become a more self-sustaining entity with long-term budget, marketing, and expansion plans in place to make our role much less essential.

 

Our assets consist of checking and brokerage accounts, two certificates of deposit, and a small number of animal crates and traps.  The bank accounts will be liquidated, and all cash proceeds and physical assets will be given to the Shelter.  With the exception of the funds remaining in the Diane McCorkle Endowment Fund for the Spaying and Neutering of Tehama County Dogs and Cats—which must be used for spaying and neutering costs only—we will meet with Shelter management to determine whether or not the remaining funds should be restricted to specific purposes (i.e., Shelter medical or expansion funds) or given to their general fund, allowing them to decide when and how best to use these resources.

 

We will continue to accept donations up to December 31, 2023; anything received after that date will be returned to the donor.  If you are one of our supporters who regularly contributes using PayPal autopay or a paycheck deduction program through your employer, any donations received on or after January 1, 2024 will be refunded to you (or the paying agent) until your bank or employer is able to process your request to stop that recurring transaction.

 

While our role as a conduit through which to support the Shelter is ending, that doesn’t mean that they are no longer in need of help…especially now, as the dogs and cats in residence face unprecedented overcrowding.  While financial donations are always welcome, now more than ever, the Tehama County Animal Care Center needs volunteers to help both in and out of the Shelter, and we urge you to contact them and continue to help however you can.

 

Finally, although we are making this decision with a heavy heart, we know that it’s time to bring this effort to a close.  We are immensely proud of the work we’ve done and the positive impact it had on the lives of thousands of animals living in and around Tehama County—not just dogs and cats, but horses, pigs, chickens, hens, turtles, rabbits, goats, turkeys, and more have come through the Shelter in need of help, and the role we played in providing it when and how we could will forever be our best legacy.

 

Of course, we know that none of it would have been possible without your generous and loving support over these last 12 years.  From the beginning, you’ve given your time, money, and attention to our cause, and we recognize that our legacy is yours as well.

 

Sharon Russell — President                      Clarissa Ortner — Vice President

Stephen Frey — Treasurer                           Julie Sisneros — Secretary

Sally Conroy — Board Member