The Danville-Boyle County Humane Society has been awarded a $15,000 grant through the Humane Society of the United States’ Shelter Ally Project for their commitment to helping cats through trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs and policy change.

The Shelter Ally Project provides grant funding and mentorship opportunities to shelters and rescues across the country to improve operations and programming within key issues, including management of community cats, access to pet-inclusive housing, regional capacity building to support sheltered and owned pets, and disaster preparedness.

Danville-Boyle County Humane Society is a 501c3 organization that provides animal sheltering services for Danville and Boyle County in partnership with Boyle County Animal Control. The shelter is one of only two organizations nationwide to be selected as a pilot program for the Community Cats Mentorship of the Shelter Ally Project.

“It’s an honor and privilege to work with the Humane Society of the United States on this pilot project, and a testament to the hard work and dedication our community has already put into caring for cats. We look forward to working with the HSUS, taking the next steps to protect all of the cats in our community, and ultimately reaching beyond shelter walls to save more lives,” said Kari Kuh, executive director for the Danville-Boyle County Humane Society.

Lindsay Hamrick, director of shelter outreach, engagement, and training with the Humane Society of the United States said, “We strongly believe in building sustainable programs that support animals and those who care for them, whether in the shelter or in the community. The Shelter Ally Project seeks to build local capacity through effective policies and programs that will, over time, reduce the number of cats in the community and of animals flowing into shelters. We are confident that Danville-Boyle County Humane Society will make great strides in their cat protection efforts, and we are excited to work with them on this project.”

The mentorship program will be conducted throughout 2022 under guidance from the Humane Society of the United States and other experts in cat protection. The program will focus on developing comprehensive and humane support for community cats in and out of the shelter, ensuring a strategic and holistic approach to managing dynamic populations of cats in the county.