We attended a fundraiser last Fall for our local pet shelter and I was surprised to learn that one of the things that needed was a new air filtration system for their kennel area.
Apparently they had been relying on portable units to try and keep the air free of odors and bacteria but because of the large number of rescues they had on sight it wasn’t enough.
I work for a local HVAC dealer so it got me thinking of ways we could help. They raised enough money for a down payment on the unit but commercial air cleaning devices are not cheap. We started asking our customers if they were interested in making donations to the local shelter along with the fees for their service calls and many of them were more than happy to do so. We were able to raise the balance of the money needed in a fairly short time and were thrilled when we called them to give them the news. With winter upon us it was going to be a big help because they could no longer leave windows or doors open to air the place out. I am not sure why I never gave a thought to that type of equipment being needed by shelters but now it makes all the sense in the world. I have always donated money or pet supplies not thinking about the building and need for repairs or appliances. From now on I will be calling them from time to time to see what their actual needs are rather than assuming that I know.