Animal shelter looks for donations
Fayette Friends of Animals is strapped for cash and in need of manpower. Flo Fronczek, president of the nonprofit, no-kill organization, said the shelter needs thousands of dollars to make their new shelter, located on Searights-Herbert Road in Menallen Township, suitable for animals to live in during the cold, winter months.
Then, after the cash comes in, volunteers are needed to perform the labor, both skilled and unskilled. The help and expertise of carpenters, electricians and painters would come in handy, too, she said.
“I think it’s a public service if people want us to continue doing our job,” Fronczek said. “Right now, the shelter is the priority. We want to continue and people need to help not just with money, but with the physical work as well.”
Although the building where Fronczek hoped to see the animals living happily by the end of spring stands empty, the shelter president remains resolute, even as fall is winding down and the days and nights are getting colder.
“We’re going to get in one way or another,” Fronczek said. “At least you feel good because you helped to put money in this.”
Fronczek is referring to the $80,000 spent to purchase the building in August 2003, and the additional $50,000 borrowed to renovate the structure. FFOA paid cash for the building with money earned through ongoing fund-raisers.
FFOA Vice President Marge Dugan said, “We’ve done quite well, considering the (Humane Society) in Pittsburgh put a million dollars into theirs.”
In March, at a time when crews were busy making repairs to the building’s roof and funds were rolling in, Fronczek predicted that the animals would snuggle into a comfortable home by this past May. She thought progress would happen much sooner than it has.
A faded sign, which reads, “Fayette Friends of Animals Adoption Rescue,” marks the new shelter’s location in a building that used to be home to a meat packing plant. The building still appears cold, but looks solid and offers potential.
As Dugan scrubbed the concrete floors in the dog kennel room, she noted that the kennels are almost complete. The dog kennel room will lead out to a small, fence-encircled area where the big dogs can run; if only the organization could afford about 300 feet of fencing.
Two rooms over, the puppy kennels stand half erected. Their glass block foundations require additional stone for completion. One day, said FFOA Secretary Carol Majernik, a small window will lead to an enclosed, outdoor cat perch. That is, if they could afford to act on the idea.
“We hope to be in here before the winter,” said Majernik, pointing out items that show the shelter has progressed over the spring and summer.
So far, the inside walls were ripped down, replaced and scrubbed clean.
Tiles and pipes were scraped and disinfected to remove any lingering bacteria leftover from raw meat. The roof was finished and room separations were built.
A heated floor was put in place and an air conditioning unit was installed. Concrete floors were laid and drains were put in. New windows were installed and lights with fans were hung.
Despite the improvements, board members stressed that if the animals aren’t inside the new shelter by winter, the work that amounted to 20 to 30 volunteer hours per week, plus wages for the contractor and his crew, will be a waste. Cold air, frost and snow could damage the structure and crack the new concrete floors unless they are sealed soon.
The money needed would pay for framing, insulation, ceilings, interior doors, propane heat, sealant for the concrete floors, necessary labor and completion of the downstairs bathroom, Fronczek noted.
“I think it’ll happen (we’ll move in), but I’m just worried about it getting cold,” Fronczek said.
The nonprofit organization spayed and neutered 4,000 animals since it opened in 1996, implying that that public service should make people want to repay the favor, said Fronczek.
Although upcoming fund-raisers will help the organization raise a portion of the money needed, public donations may be the group’s lifeline, according to Fronczek.
“We’re at a standstill,” she said. “We need to get in here (the new building) and we can’t get in until someone steps up to the plate and lends us some money. We don’t have day-to-day money. So, if anybody is sitting around thinking about donating, now is the time.
“Any amount will be appreciated,” she added. “If 10 people give $10, it adds up to $100.”
Donations can be sent to Fayette Friends of Animals, P.O. Box 1282, Uniontown, PA, 15401.
The shelter’s telephone number is 724-434-1422.