Norma’s Notes Spring 2025

Spring arrives as well as the kittens. It Is a time that brings both joy and deep concerns to the pet rescue. We ask the familiar questions – will we have enough – volunteers, space, funding and we quickly reasoned that we will meet each day of additional work with patience, love and hope.  A favorite sign above my bed reads, “Leave it to God and go to sleep,”— we TRUST that we will have all that we need.

At a recent Board meeting we addressed the growing challenges of sustaining our public spay/neuter clinics, resident care, medical care and pet food pantry needs amid funding cuts. Despite the hurdles we moved forward with scheduling our clinics. With your continued support our efforts have reduced cat overpopulation feline illnesses and cat euthanasia in Aroostook County shelters. This past winter local shelters saw fewer kittens available for adoption. Our impact is recognized statewide programs like Maine’s Help Fix Me continues to provide critical support to low-income families. Soon after we made our decision, we began receiving notifications of approved grants that are listed below.

This summer, HHPR volunteers will be active with raffles, garage sales, Thursday on Sweden St, and Arts & Crafts booths. We’ve also rebranded our Free Clinic to a Low-Cost Clinic, creating a more sustainable model without compromising care. If you cannot help with direct cat care, perhaps you could help at a fundraising booth.  Thank you for walking beside us. Your support keeps us going. Wishing you a healthy and hopeful spring.