PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — The Pickens County Humane Society is at risk of permanently closing if it does not raise $30,000 by August 15.

“My heart drops to my stomach just to sit there and think, ‘Where are all these babies going to go?,'” Brittany Anello, a receptionist at the Pickens County Humane Society, said.

The humane society is a non-profit, no-kill shelter and relies on donations. All of the donations it receives go toward buying food, paying for animals’ medical expenses and paying bills. 

“Our operations for a month, on average, are about $30,000 to $35,000,” Samantha Gamble, the director of the Pickens County Humane Society said. “That has gone up by $10,000 to $15,000 since last year with the uptick of inflation, medical costs and veterinarians. We’ve lost some pro-bono surgeries we used to receive because everything has gotten more expensive.”

If the facility closes, staff said they will relocate all of their animals to other no-kill shelters. But, they worry about animals who may need homes in the future.

“On average, we take in about 700 to 1,000 animals,” Gamble said. “We usually place that many yearly. So, that’s 700 to 1,000 animals that will be displaced each year.”

“We’re the only ones in Pickens County that even deal with felines,” Anello added. “There will be a ton of stray felines out there if we weren’t here.”

The humane society is now asking for anyone to donate if they can.

“Hopefully, the community will pull through, and we’ll be able to stay open so these babies can have homes and find their forever homes,” Anello said.

How to donate

To donate online, you can visit the Pickens County Humane Society’s website by clicking here.

To make donations over the phone, call 864-843-9693.

To make donations in person, visit the humane society’s office at 500 Five Forks Road, Liberty SC 2965.