ASPCA Provides $128,000 Grant to Greater Birmingham Humane Society

<p>Funds Allow Shelter to Purchase Emergency Transport and Adoption Rig for Disaster Relief Efforts</p>
May 16, 2011

NEW YORK--The Greater Birmingham Humane Society (GBHS) in Alabama has purchased a new emergency transport rig for tornado relief efforts as a result of a $128,000 grant provided by the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), the ASPCA announced today.

The new emergency transport vehicle will greatly improve the organization's ability to provide assistance to the affected areas of Alabama, especially parts of Tuscaloosa, which was ravaged in late April by the worst tornado outbreak in the nation's history. The rig will include space for animal transport cages, an on-board veterinary work space, and room for the storage of pet care supplies.

"The recent tornadoes in Alabama have created an immense need for the care of animals that have been displaced and abandoned," said Jodi Lytle Buckman, senior director of community initiatives for the ASPCA. "Requests for transfers and supplies have been steadily increasing since the outbreak of dangerous weather, and we are pleased to be able to offer aid to local organizations like the Greater Birmingham Humane Society."

"We are so grateful to the ASPCA for supporting us in our disaster relief efforts," said Laura Golden, Strategic Communications Officer for the GBHS. "This rig will help us reach even more animals in need as we work to help the pets who have been affected by these devastating storms."

Following the immediate need for disaster relief, the GBHS will use the vehicle to help increase adoptions, as they will now be able to transport animals to areas that previously had been out of reach. GBHS, the largest humane society in the state with the highest number of adoptions, will transfer adoptable animals to smaller communities and shelters across the state in an effort to provide positive outcomes for even more of Alabama's homeless pets.

For more information on the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and how you can help with the disaster relief efforts, please visit www.gbhs.org.