After COVID-19, we all have had to struggle to maintain our fiscal homes. It seems like we are being charged for almost every aspect of life.
I am old enough to remember when TV was free.
When fellow citizens needed help, there was usually some sort of government service to assist.
Today, money is tighter and harder to come by. We pay for subscriptions for almost all our media.
People in need now go to the web in a go-fund-me plea, looking to their neighbors for assistance. We are entering a time when we must depend upon each other for support rather than any outside agency.
The same is true for animals in need. Once animal rescues and shelters could easily access public funds. Now, as with all households, the money to run these homes is in short supply.
Father John’s Animal House, located in Sparta, is no exception. Their need for community support grows by the day.
Father John’s Animal House was founded in 1999 by a small and very dedicated group of people who recognized a great need in our community to help homeless and otherwise unwanted pets.
The land and facility were acquired through a few large donations and the shelter was immediately able to start placing animals into loving adoptive homes.
The land was originally overseen by Father John, a retired member of the clergy, who took exceedingly good care of his livestock. The shelter was named after him to honor his dedication to the welfare of animals.
The shelter now has the capacity to place more than 800 animals each year safely and responsibly. Each animal is fully vetted, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped prior to leaving for their adoptive home.
Our shelter personnel work hard to match each adoptive family with the perfect animal to become their lifelong pet.
Our overall mission is not only to place animals into loving homes but to promote spay and neuter to alleviate the problem of homeless animals and overcrowded shelters.
We value the bond people have with animals and strive to give each homeless animal a family that will love and care for them for a lifetime. Look at fatherjohns.org to get a full picture of who we are and what we do.
The Animal House belongs to all of us in New Jersey. It is our duty to make sure the house has enough funds to take care of the most fragile and needy of our state’s residents.
It costs $20 a month to care for a dog and $10 to care for a cat. Even though animals are regularly adopted, there is always another to take its place.
One-time donations are always greatly appreciated but it is the regular monthly sustaining pledge that keeps the doors open and the lights on.
All our national shelters need people who will faithfully and regularly donate to their operations. All organizations in need tell you that for the cost of one breakfast out a month or a trip or two to Starbucks, you can support someone, be it animal or human, in need.
Father John’s will tell you the same. Buy an animal in a rescue a breakfast once a month. You’ll be doing your moral duty to support the helpless and feel good in the doing.
Alone we can do a little, together we can change the world.
Barbara Medvidick
Newton
Editor’s note: Medvidick is a volunteer at Father John’s Animal House.