(Submitted by Wood County Humane Society)
After careful consultation among organizers, volunteers, and board members, Wood County Humane Society has decided to cancel its annual garage sale for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an email to Shelter Manager Erin Moore dated July 15, co-organizers Stephanie Ringler and Joseph Schroeder cited concerns over the health and safety of both volunteers and patrons as their rationale for cancelling the event.
“It is with great heaviness in our hearts that we have come to the conclusion that we will not be able to run a successful garage sale that would be socially distanced,” the co-organizers wrote.
At their monthly board meeting in July, board members of WCHS unanimously supported Ringler and Schroeder’s decision to cancel the event.
Originally slated for late-May, the sale initially was postponed by its co-organizers in hopes of re-scheduling the sale for fall. Recent developments in Wood County and across the state forced the organization to re-evaluate its earlier decision to postpone.
Held every May since 1993, the WCHS garage sale has been the largest annual fundraiser for the organization for nearly a decade. In 2019, the sale raised $19,407.40, exceeding 2018 sales by $2,277.75.
Cancellation of the annual garage sale comes in the wake of a number of other event cancellations for the organization.
Those who would like to support WCHS to help compensate for some of the lost fundraising revenue can visit its website at wchumane.org.
The Wood County Humane Society, located in Bowling Green is a private, non-profit, managed admission shelter providing care for homeless, abused, or/and neglected pets. The organization receives no funding from national humane organizations for daily operations, instead relying on earned revenue and the generosity of individual donors and businesses to fund programs such as Humane Investigations, Safe Pets, food assistance programs, low-cost spay/neuter opportunities, and educational presentations. The WCHS provides care for over 1,000 animals each year—from dogs and cats, to the occasional pocket pet or farm animal. All animals admitted into the adoption program are housed and cared for as long as it takes to find their adoptive home.
