Amory Humane Society helps pet owners affected by March tornadoes

The Amory Humane Society is giving back to the community. On June 23, the shelter hosted a pet supplies giveaway for Monroe County pet owners affected by the March Tornado.

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Amory Humane Society is giving back to the community. On June 23, the shelter hosted a pet supplies giveaway for Monroe County pet owners affected by the March Tornado.

The EF3 tornado that swept through Amory on March 24 did not just affect people; it also took a toll on their pets. The Amory Humane Society wanted to do something to help pet owners during their recovery. After raising money with the help of several organizations, the Amory Humane Society is now giving back.

Executive director Misty Daniels explained why the shelter decided to host the event.

“People have lost everything, and we would just like to give back to them and help them out,” Daniels said. “We had a lot of people come in the very beginning –  three months ago, and they helped us out.”

Board of Directors Secretary Leigh Ann Hubbard said it was a team effort.

“When the tornado happened it was all hands on deck,” Hubbard said. “Everybody was trying to figure out what we could do here to help the animals and help the animals in the community. We’re all banding together and helping each other out, and it’s been a really positive experience.”

After the tornado, the Amory Humane Society saw more and more people having to surrender their pets, and their intake numbers more than doubled. While those numbers grew, the space to house them had shrunk. The shelter itself had been damaged.

Amory Humane Society staff wanted to help provide resources to storm victims, so they could continue to take care of their pets.

“The supplies are so expensive, and people are going through so much to try to rebuild at this point,” Hubbard said. “So, whatever we have to do to help them keep their animals and take care of their animals is important. Our number one goal is to keep families together and that includes pets. ”

“It is devastating,” Daniels said. “Sometimes pets are last on the list with your home, your children, your family, and we want them to be able to keep their pets.”

Moving forward, the humane society said the best advice they can give is to have a plan for when disaster strikes and help those around you.

“When you give back it teaches others to give back,” Daniels said. “I think that’s where we are right now in recovery. In the beginning, people helped us, and we want to teach other people to give back.”

If you’d like to pick up supplies, you can visit the Amory Humane Society on June 24 from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

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