Anonymous couple donates $100,000 to Santa Fe Animal Shelter
By Julian Paras
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SANTA FE, New Mexico (KOAT) — An anonymous couple surprised the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society with a $100,000 donation on Christmas Eve, offering vital support for the shelter’s animal care and community initiatives.
“Some anonymous donors came through our front doors and told us they had a $100,000 check for us,” Lex Gowans said. “It was wild!”
The donation, which is all real, came as a surprise to the shelter, especially during their year-end campaign. Marketing Director and Communications for the shelter, Gowans, expressed the impact of the donation, noting that the average annual cost to care for an animal at the shelter is slightly more than $1,800.
“This gift of $100,000 not only allows us to care for the hurt, sick, and lost pets that come through our front door annually, but it also allows us to keep people with their pets,” Gowans said.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, have a personal connection to the shelter, as their family was involved with the original shelter.
“We were a little shelter on Cerrillos Road in 1939 to 2005, and those folks actually had family who were at our original shelter,” Gowans said.
Gowans emphasized the importance of community support, saying, “We are not able to do this work without our community. Time and time again, we are shocked that people show up and care about our animals, and there are no words that can describe how grateful we are.”
People interested in getting involved with the shelter can visit the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society website and look under the ‘Get Involved’ tab.
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