Dear Mary,

Sweet, loving and eager-to-please Maggie had a family, but they decided to move without her.  A beautiful, smart, yellow lab-mix, she was left on her own to starve or be injured. She was rescued by the South Bend Animal Control and taken to be cared for at the century-old shelter.

The first few days at the facility she was everyone’s favorite: bright and happy, always ready with a lick when one of the volunteers stopped by.  But then, because of lack of space in the facility, Bo and Bailey joined her small cramped cage.  And then came Annie, too.

Due to the un-livable conditions, Maggie (as well as the other homeless animals) became lethargic. Scared.  Defensive. Downright depressed.  When the McAdams family of South Bend visited, looking for a sweet, loving, eager-to-please dog to adopt, they never even saw Maggie, head down, cowering in the corner of her overfilled cage.

Quite tragically, sweet Maggie, never found a home. The city of South Bend is committed to not allowing sad stories like Maggie’s ever happen again.  And we hope as a proud part of our community, you’re committed as well.  We are the Community Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) of South Bend.  We are a not-for-profit organization that works to support our area’s homeless animals through fundraising initiatives.  It is our goal is to save animals like Maggie in a safe and deserving environment where they can stay healthy and thrive until they can find permanent, loving homes.

In order to do that, we must replace the city’s severely overcrowded and aged animal rescue facility with a new, spacious and fully equipped center.  We are building this new, larger rescue facility at 521 Eclipse Place in Kennedy Park. But our funds have run short. We need your help to complete this much-needed rescue home. By making a life-saving donation today, you can help dogs like Maggie…and the hundreds more we see every month...live. And live the life they deserve.

On any given day, as many as 500 pets are housed in the current facility located at 135 S. Olive St. The cramped, ill-equipped structure, which was converted from a fire station, is more than 100 years old and offers only one-third of the space that is required to humanely care for this number of animals.  As a result, the dogs and cats are forced to share cages, at times as many a four to a cage. Not only is this not ideal for health reasons, it psychologically effects the animals, making them much less appealing for adoption.

Sadly, this negative behavior is only part of the environment, not truly part of the animal. But the fewer adoptions, the more overcrowded it becomes.  You, and your donation to our new spacious facility, can end this tragic cycle.  And dogs like Maggie can find homes for life.

The new, 10.000 square foot structure in Kennedy Park, is slated to offer not only three times the space for the animals, it will offer many new features that will save animal lives, draw willing volunteers and increase the percentage of adoptions.  The bright, open facility will have:

• A spay-neuter clinic. People who adopt pets now sign a form    indicating they will have the procedure performed by a private    provider.
• An expanded lobby and reception area.
• An adoption preparation area for bathing and grooming of animals
• Interaction rooms for families to meet with prospective pets.
• A confined area to unload animals from vehicles.
• A secure area for the quarantine of bite case animals.
• A treatment area for sick and injured animals.
• A secured area that is protected from the elements for after-hours    drop-offs.
• Storage space for food and other supplies.
• Training, meeting and cleanup facilities for staff.

Your donation will help us bring this all to life. Please complete the enclosed donation with your check or credit card information. Or shop the enclosed catalogue of merchandise.

Your donation and all the profits from your purchase will go directly to improve the welfare of South Bend animals. So Maggie’s story will, from now on, have a different end.

South Bend is a proud and beautiful city.  Let’s join together and make sure every aspect of our community is filled with the dignity and kindness it deserves. Make your donation or purchase today. It will be one more step in making this desperately needed new rescue a facility a reality for us all.

Thank you for helping save the animals of South Bend.  It’s a commitment that we all should have…for life.

Thank you in advance,

The caring people of CARE