CARE celebrates 25 years

The Creston Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) has been looking out for Creston’s strays for a long time - 25 years, to be exact.

Founded in April 1998 by Mycale Downey and Michelle Jones, CARE started bringing dogs and cats that would have been euthanized at the Creston City Pound to a larger shelter facility in Des Moines.

“Back when we started 25 years ago, [the pound’s] policy was to fill it up and then euthanize,” Downey said. “It took a couple weeks to fill. At that time, they only had six dog cages and four cat cages.”

Because of the small amount of space, Downey had to take animals to other shelters quite often.

“Our focus was just getting them out of there, getting them someplace where they had a chance,” Downey said. “I knew they euthanized in Des Moines, but I also knew they would have a better chance.”

After doing this for a few years, Downey and Jones decided to try adopting the stray pets from Creston rather than transferring them to Des Moines for adoption. Along with adoption efforts, the pair began providing veterinary care to the animals as well.

“We decided to start spaying and neutering all these animals,” Downey said. “That’s one of our huge priorities. There are too many animals and we want to stop that.”

In the last 25 years, the animal capacity changed, with the pound now containing eight dog cages and 10 cat cages, with four of the cat cages able to hold two kittens at a time. Because of this limited capacity, CARE is also working on the outdoor cat population.

“Five years ago, we started doing trap/neuter/return, which is targeting outdoor cats,” Downey said. “We catch them, we test them for feline leukemia and FIV, vaccinate them for rabies and spay or neuter them so they can still live as outdoor cats but they can’t keep having more and more babies.”

Through all these efforts, CARE isn’t earning any money. Though they work out of the city pound with animals picked up by animal control, Downey stressed that they are two separate entities.

“Its the same building, same animals, but two separate organizations,” Downey said. “Each dog on average costs us close to $275 and each cat roughly is $200.”

“We don’t recoup that expense,” Jones said. “The city charges a $20 adoption fee, but that goes to the city. We don’t recoup that except for the fundraising and what the community donors give us.”

Throughout the year, CARE hosts a variety of fundraisers, including a microchip clinic and a gift and bake sale in December, as well as the upcoming Spay-ghetti Supper and Auction. To celebrate their 25-year anniversary, CARE is hosting a Giving Grid, in which a donor can buy a square, worth either $25 or $5, and share a photo of their own pet on said square.

“We’ve never done this, so we hope it goes over well,” Downey said. “We’re aiming for $2,000, but if every square sells, it’ll be more like $2,300. I feel like we’ve got a lot of people that support us, so I’m hoping to sell all the squares.”

A link to CARE’s Giving Grid can be found on their Facebook page, Creston Area Rescue Effort.

As CARE fundraises, they hope to start putting more money aside for a new location.

“We’ve never wanted to be gigantic, but we want decent basics,” Downey explained. “We don’t even have a bathroom.”

While CARE is grateful for it’s time partnering with the pound, they want to be able to provide more for the animals.

“It’s served its time,” Downey said of the shelter. “The cats, I would like to see more enrichment. Bigger cages to they can have cat scratchers, community cages where you can have three cats in there that get along so they can groom each other, socialize, destress.”

In addition to this, CARE is working becoming its own 501(c)(3).

“We are umbrella-ed under the city of Creston,” Downey said. “They have a trust fund where our money goes, they handle it. If we want to apply for a grant, I have to go before the council and get approval, which we do, but it’s just another step.”

Jones said CARE is on track to becoming its own 501(c)(3) this year.

Those interested in donating time or money to CARE are directed to go to their Facebook or contact CARE at (641) 782-2330. Volunteers for the dogs are critically needed. The Spay-ghetti Supper and Auction will take place at 5:30 p.m. on February 24 at the Eagles Club, with meals costing $8 per person.