Natural Matchmakers

Choptank Trust donates to a great cause with the Talbot Humane Society

By Bobby Schaller, MultiMedia Manager

Last winter our Trust Board received a request from the Talbot County Humane Society for a donation to aid in their mission. Humane Society’s work is hard and always growing. It seems as though you really have to love animals to work or volunteer at a shelter. When you boil it down, the mission is simple: finding a home for every healthy and safe animal. Essentially, playing the role of “matchmaker,” and spreading the love and joy they have for animals onto others.

In early June we took a trip to the east-side of Easton (right off Rt. 50) to visit our friends at the Talbot County Humane Society. Our Trust Board had granted the request toward the shelter’s cause and we wanted to get together and learn more about their organization.
 
What we found was a small and well-oiled facility. Patty Crankshaw-Quimby (Executive Director), Kate Richards (Development Director), and Denise Fitzgerald (Office Manager) were busy helping Trave’l Hayman with a lost kitten he found in his neighborhood. He  brought it into the shelter so he could foster it until the kitten was old enough for him to adopt into his family. He was doing this for his children who had been asking Trave’l for a pet cat for a few years now. After they got his kitten all situated we took photos in front of the newly dedicated pet visitation room. The shelter was so grateful for the much needed donation that they dedicated their pet visitation room to Choptank Electric Co-op and had the window etched with our logo and name. In fact, Kate etched the glass herself and it looks great.

After the pictures were taken, they offered to give us a quick tour of their facilities and we were glad to take them up on their offer. All of the many animals were well kept and grew excited as the employees approached their areas. This is when the realization happened that these facilities not only bring forgotten animals to a better home, but also bring a shared sense of joy, love and happiness to both the animals and the adopting families. The Talbot County Humane Society does a wonderful job of playing matchmaker for the local folks as well as the animals. It truly is a beautiful thing.

With only a few exceptions, all animals are welcome. All small mammals, all exotic pets, horses, dogs, cats, etc. It does not matter the breed or age, all have a place at the shelter. Over the years, the staff has housed many unique animals including monkeys, tarantulas and even a 100 pound tortoise! With so many animals to take care of, the Humane Society is very thankful for their volunteers and is always looking for more to lend a hand.

It’s hard to put into words how much love is shared between a person and their animal. Those who have experienced it can try to explain the feeling. If you haven’t, the shelter is a good place to start, as you could already see the joy and happiness taking affect in Trave’l’s smile as he held his new family kitten.

We’re proud to have played a small role in helping the Talbot Humane Society achieve its mission, and we thank them for giving back to the community. That’s what the cooperative way is all about. We also thank all of our members who participate in Operation Round Up for making this donation possible!

For more information please visit > https://www.talbothumane.org/

For more information about the Choptank Trust please visit > https://www.choptankelectric.coop/operation-round-trust-fund