The 30 cats and kittens residing at a shelter in Island Park aren’t lonely, at the same time as their numbers dwindle as a result of monetary strains.
Last month, the Long Beach Humane Society, the nonprofit that runs Kitty Cove on Austin Boulevard, determined it couldn’t afford to absorb extra felines till it recovers from the falling ranges of donations in the course of the pandemic.
“Because the fundraising and our bank account has taken such a hit, the plan is not to take any more animals in,” Helen Aloi, director of the organization, stated final week. The organization made the choice simply after Christmas, she stated.
“We went through the financials and it doesn’t behoove us to take cats in,” Aloi stated. “It costs us a lot of money to house one cat [and] you don’t know how long the cat will be with you.”
Long Beach Humane Society Kitty Cove
- Currently has 30 cats and kittens
- Typically has 70 to 100.
- Stopped taking in new animals on the finish of December.
- Won’t resume taking in animals till it replenishes its reserves.
One of the cats being cared for on the Long Beach Humane Society in Island Park. Credit: Jim Staubitser
The cat inhabitants at Kitty Cove normally ranges from about 70 to 100 cats at any given time.
“When things get better, we will start taking more animals in,” Aloi stated.
A dry-erase calendar confirmed two to 4 volunteers scheduled for day by day of the month.
“It takes a military to maintain what we obtained happening right here,” Aloi stated.
The shelter asks for a donation of $200 to undertake a cat, and though most individuals pay that, Aloi stated that covers a small fraction of the expense of housing and caring for cats. Before the pandemic, the organization managed to fund its operations by way of a number of approaches to fundraising, however that dropped off sharply, she stated.
According to the nonprofit’s publicly available federal 990 tax types, its income for extraordinary “gifts, grants, contributions and membership fees” dropped from $75,208 in 2019 to $10,750 in 2020, the primary 12 months of the pandemic. That income elevated to $53,759 in 2021 and to $72,933 in 2022, tax information present. Though that was not the nonprofit’s solely income, it was its largest in most years from 2018 by way of 2022, tax information present.
Aloi stated that in the course of the pandemic the shelter tapped into its reserves. During that point, the nonprofit’s belongings decreased from $78,531 in 2018 to $34,123 on the finish of 2022, in keeping with tax information.
In 2022, the nonprofit’s bills totaled $119,478 however its complete income was $108,936, that means that it ended the 12 months with a $10,542 deficit that was closed by tapping into belongings, tax information present.
Though the organization is run by unpaid volunteers, together with its director, it has bills. The organization’s month-to-month bills complete about $10,500, in keeping with figures it offered. The greatest expense is $5,000 for cat meals, cat field litter and different provides adopted by $3,000 in veterinarian payments. Rent, insurance coverage and utilities account for $2,500, in keeping with organization figures. Though they do deal with a handful of canine adoptions yearly, the dogs are saved in foster houses relatively than within the organization’s shelter, Aloi stated.
The pandemic hit many nonprofits’ backside traces as giving dried up, in keeping with Rick Cohen, spokesman and chief working officer of Washington, D.C.-based National Council of Nonprofits.
“The pandemic was a turning point for everyone. Fundraising for a lot of organizations came to a halt,” Cohen stated in an interview. “A lot of them relied on in-person fundraisers. And those that were able to go to virtual fundraisers found that they weren’t as successful.”
For now, the cats at Kitty Cove have a loving home however till the Long Beach Humane Society raises about $50,000 to rebuild its monetary cushion, Aloi stated they gained’t be joined by newcomers.
“These guys are our priority,” Aloi stated of the cats and kittens on the shelter now. “They need a home.”
