AMERICUS — The Sumter Humane Society has received a grant from Best Friends Animal Society to conduct their 20/100 spay/neuter project, helping to reduce the number of animals entering the Americus/Sumter County local animal shelter.

The Sumter Humane Society participates in Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets® Network, a program offering help and support to grassroots animal rescue groups saving lives in their communities.

“This grant means that we can add this low-cost spay/neuter project to our efforts this year to find forever homes for rescued pets,” said Director Ruth Olson. “Our goal is to perform 100 spay/neuter operations using these funds during 2015. We appreciate Best Friends support to make the 20/100 project a great success.”

Liz Finch, senior manager of Best Friends Community Programs and Services, added, “This grant project will help address one of the critical components in the homeless pets issue. By helping families afford to spay/neuter their companion animals we can make a significant impact on the number of unwanted litters that are born each year.”

Every day, approximately 9,000 pets are killed in shelters because they don’t have a home. Best Friends Animal Society and its No More Homeless Pets Network partners, such as the Sumter Humane Society are committed to saving them. This lifesaving grant is part of Best Friends Animal Society’s determination to Save Them All®.

The Sumter Humane Society is a 501(c)3 private organization dedicated to saving the lives and reducing the suffering of the abandoned, abused, and neglected dogs and cats of Americus and Sumter County. Low income, senior, and students can apply for grant funds by calling the shelter 229-924-0268 or visiting us at 108 Industrial Blvd., Americus GA 31709. With only a $20 co-pay, surgeries will be done at our participating vet offices of Americus Veterinary Hospital, Harper’s Animal Clinic, or Whispering Pines Animal Hospital. Surgeries are limited to two per household.

Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. A leader in the no-kill movement since its founding in 1984, Best Friends runs the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as lifesaving programs in partnership with rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from 17 million per year to about 4 million. It is its goal, through partnerships, to save them all.