Friday marked the start of a happy ending for a suburban animal shelter whose pets are facing homelessness after the shelter received an eviction notice earlier this month.
On Dec. 16, Cache Creek Animal Rescue in Joliet created a Go Fund Me page asking for donations of as little as $1 to help find a new temporary home for the rescued animals.
Their goal was $50,000. As of Friday afternoon, they have successfully raised more than $65,000. And it only took three days.
"Words will never be able to express how truly grateful we here at cache creek [sic] are at this moment," the animal shelter said in a post on their fundraising page Friday morning. "We are truly blessed to have all you animal lovers in our corner, the power of the human spirit has been shown and continues to be shown."
The excess donated money will go directly toward housing and caring for the animals in the shelter now and in the future, according to shelter.
Cache Creek Animal Rescue is a non-profit no-kill shelter that rescues dogs and cats from kill shelters in 11 counties in southern Illinois. The adoption center is facing eviction because the Joliet building was not up to code during a recent inspection, according to the shelter's fundraising page. The owner wants them out of the building by Jan. 10, which gave the staff at Cache Creek less than one month to find a new home for the pets.
The pets at the adoption center in Joliet come from a shelter in Anna, Ill., where the animals are initially taken after being rescued from pounds and puppy mills across southern Illinois. The shelter in Anna is also in need of repairs as it frequently floods, endangering the animals' lives, said Donna Hawk, the director of the shelter.
The fundraising page is still active and accepting donations. For more information about the shelter, visit www.cachecreekanimalrescue.com.
