This SC humane society is shutting down, and is searching for homes for its residents

The Pickens County Humane Society announced on Tuesday that it is in need of finding forever homes for dozens of animals before it shutters its doors later this year.

The organization’s director, Samantha Gamble, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the shelter had “ran out of time” and had not “made enough stride in making up a significant deficit.”

“Over the years we have continued to operate in the red, and were financially ruined with a loss of funding,” Gamble stated. “We have depleted our endowments and can no longer survive with the lack of community support.”

The Independent Mail reported on Wednesday that the humane society could not make ends meet after Pickens County officials started a county-run animal shelter. Gamble told the paper that the humane society had received $70,000 a year from the county before it opened its own shelter. She said she was unable to make up the shortfall through a series of fundraisers.

Gamble told the Independent Mail that the humane society had 56 animals at the shelter in need of a forever home. She and the manager plan to stay until the last animal is adopted, the paper reported.

In the Facebook post, she said that the county-run shelter also had agreed to accept any animals that have not been adopted after Dec. 31. She said their remaining finances would be donated to another nonprofit.

Gamble stated, however, that the humane society is still trying to raise money to run through the end of the year. Monday will be the last day it will accept surrenders.

Since announcing the closure, Gamble also said in another post that it’s not too late to save the humane society shelter. But donations are needed to makeup the $70,000 shortfall.

“We have begged & pleaded year round, year to year for help,” the post stated. “But even with the County funds, we still operated in the negative monthly which means our community support wasn’t enough. With that being said, the community would now have to provide more than ever to keep our doors open. But YES, it can be done.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2017 at 8:03 AM with the headline "This SC humane society is shutting down, and is searching for homes for its residents."