Donating to your local animal shelter directly helps your community.

Author: Jill Mollohan, Executive Director
When you donate to a local animal shelter, your generosity directly impacts pets in your community. It’s important to know that many national organizations focus on broader animal welfare initiatives, such as advocating for better laws or supporting large-scale rescue efforts. While their work is valuable, it may not always include direct support for local shelters. In fact, only a small percentage of donations—sometimes as little as 1-2%—may reach shelters, if at all, and many don’t operate shelters themselves.

If your goal is to help the pets in your local community, donating directly to the shelter you know and love is the best way to ensure your contribution has a direct and meaningful impact. For example, donations to the Lynchburg Humane Society go directly toward the feed, providing medical care for, and finding loving homes for the homeless pets in our Lynchburg community and wider region. Researching the organizations you support, whether they’re local or national, is always a good practice to make sure your donation aligns with your values and intentions.
Thank you for caring about animals and for making thoughtful choices when you give. Your support means everything!