White County Humane Society, Friends of White County Animals hosting fundraiser

On Saturday, March 2nd the White County Humane Society (WCHS) and Friends of White County Animals (FWCA) will hold their ninth annual Chili Dinner, at the First United Methodist Church, 23 N Church, in Sparta. This “all you can eat” event will include chili, corn bread, drinks and dessert, all for the price of $15.00 ($5.00 for children under 10).  Tickets can be purchased from members of either organization, or at the door.  The purpose of this joint effort is to raise money to help fund Spay/Neuter surgeries for owned pets or for homeless cats that are in foster care, prior to adoption.  

The WCHS Spay/Neuter (S/N) Assistance Program has been in existence since 2006, and since that time the group has funded 11,266 surgeries.  According to Monica Jicha, S/N Assistance Coordinator, “S/N has always been our primary mission.  S/N saves lives by preventing the birth of unwanted litters that would otherwise end up in shelters, or much worse, abandoned and left to die of starvation, illness or injury.”

The mission of the FWCA is to sponsor programs that allow family pets to stay in their homes.  This includes free food distribution, emergency medical assistance, and educational programs.  In 2016, the group began a small scale cat rescue/adoption program.  According to Carolyn Turner, who manages the program “It just made sense to ensure that these rescued cats were spayed or neutered prior to being put up for adoption.  If not, we were just adding to the problem of pet overpopulation, by placing healthy (and prolific) cats in homes where they may or may not get fixed.” 

That’s when the two groups decided to join forces.  The WCHS had been doing Spay/Neuter for years, but the majority of their funding is from grants, many of which stipulate that funds must be used for owned, family pets.  So the two groups started looking for other means to raise funds for these homeless rescue cats.  A chili dinner seemed to be the perfect fit, and the first dinner was held in 2016.  All the chili is prepared and donated by members and their friends, and drinks, desserts and condiments are provided by local businesses and supporters.  100% of the money raised from ticket sales or outright donations is split between the two groups to be used for Spay/Neuter.

In 2023, the WCHS funded 946 Spay/Neuter surgeries for owned pets, and along with the FWCA, jointly funded an additional 110 cats in the rescue/adoption program, for a grand total of 1056.  These numbers represent cats or dogs that will no longer be reproducing and adding to the pet overpopulation problem in White County.   We’re very proud of our accomplishments and hope you’ll join us on the 2nd to show your support of our efforts.

 If you’re interested in learning more about the FWCA or the WCHS, or are interested in getting involved, you can visit either group on Facebook or call 931-935-8377.