HARP in Action In 9/2023 to 8/2024
2023 The Numbers
2023 The Numbers
2023 The Numbers
1530 cats fixed: $43,420 (about $45/cat)
1530 3-year rabies vaccinations: $5000
Admin: $2000, covered by benefactor
Basic vaccines for each cat: donated
Total expenses: $68,850
2023 The Support
2023 The Numbers
2023 The Numbers
Grants: $40,900
Donations & Copays: $30,400
Total income: $71,300
2023 The People
2023 The Numbers
499 calls for assistance
300 owners from 19 counties
8 veterinary clinics
13 Volunteers
Zero paid staff
2023 The Cats
Most from one home: 28
Oldest: about 7 years
Longest drive (one-way!) to get cats to the vet: 125 miles
Significant illness/injury requiring extra care: 40
The Volunteers
How We Get It Done
Certified in Humane Trapping.
Transported and trapped ferals and pet cats for the elderly, the poor, the disabled.
Helped meet other social needs while there — including food, gas money, and assisting with pet needs like shelter and food.
Get attacked by roosters, negotiate with raccoons, go home with fur covered clothing and cat pee in their shoes.
Finish the day drained of strength but with a heart full of hope from helping these less fortunate cats and their owners.
One volunteer certified in cat retention to help decrease relinquishment.
How We Get It Done
How We Get It Done
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Best vets, skilled in feral cat care and early age spay/neuter (8 weeks). Guaranteed to stop the cycle of kittens having kittens!
Best and most dedicated volunteers who aren't afraid to face challenging situations.
Quick and easy process to qualify and get cat's surgery scheduled fast. No plastic or bank account required, no internet required, no tedious paperwork. One call and owners are generally qualified and the cat(s) scheduled fast; occasionally referred to low-cost program In Memphis if not qualified for our program. Offer trapping and transport assistance when available to get these cats fixed.
Accept copays and donations through website, Venmo, PayPal and checks or cash.
Homeless Animals Relief Project 2023 Impact
Our Impact in 2023
5,200 minimum fewer homeless cats in MS! (Est. 650 females with minimum 2 litters per year, average 4 kittens each litter.)
6,750 est. breedings prevented. (About 450 male cats mating 15 times per year). Neutered males means fewer litters, less disease, less trauma, happier owners, more peaceful com,umities.
1103 healthier cats who likely will live longer lives and are more likely to be allowed to remain in the home.
Owners and the community educated in feline welfare and care via phone and through our articles published in local newspaper.
Suffering prevented: Unimaginable & Incalculable!
Photo: feral cats recovering from surgery and anesthesia in recovery room.
Challenges We Face in 2024
• Funding! We fix fast so funds go fast. Cat welfare is dependent upon the grants and donations we receive, plus the number of vets and volunteers we have. Poverty and inflation are exploding the need for our intervention.
• Increased costs for vet care and rabies vaccinations.
• More participating vets: Our participating vets are 15 to 70 miles from us.
• We're holding strong our frontlines in fixing owned cats but face increasing numbers of feral cat colonies (wild free roaming cats).
•Kittens still coming! Mortality rate for kittens born outdoors is about 75%, usually due to trauma (nih.gov). To help stop this suffering, we need to increase the number of cats we fix. Thus far in 2023 we are on track to fix around 1200.
Our Advances In 2023
Increased the number of cats we fixed by 40!
Moved more cats and kittens into homes and rescue programs.
Feral cat volunteer trappers certified in humane trapping and transport.
Redesigned website increased traffic from average 25 visits/month to over 2500 the first month. Website was done by a volunteer.
Recruited two more veterinary clinics to help less fortunate cats.
Launched a quarterly newsletter using donated donor networking software to increase donation and awareness of cat welfare and overpopulation issues.
Achieved Platinum Level certification by guidestar.org.
Our team & the impact
Our Founder
Our Director
Our Director
Linda Chitwood CRNA, MS, founded Homeless Animals Relief Project over 25 years ago to provide birth control surgery to pets living with the poor in rural MS, either for free or at minimal cost. She retired as volunteer Director in 2022 but remains on the Board of Directors. As the winner of The Summerlee Foundation's Courage & Compassion
Linda Chitwood CRNA, MS, founded Homeless Animals Relief Project over 25 years ago to provide birth control surgery to pets living with the poor in rural MS, either for free or at minimal cost. She retired as volunteer Director in 2022 but remains on the Board of Directors. As the winner of The Summerlee Foundation's Courage & Compassion Award, Linda grew HARP from a small group of volunteers to a respected organization that has eliminated hundreds of thousands of litters. She is the author of $5 For a Cat Head, a hands-on book to helping animals through spay/neuter.
Our Director
Our Director
Our Director
Denise Bynum, Ph.D, RN, took over as the volunteer Director of Homeless Animals Relief Project in 2022. With a doctorate in nursing and years of professional & administrative experience, she has expanded Homeless Animals Relief Project services and increased the number of cats we fix yearly. She's also increased funding, set up social med
Denise Bynum, Ph.D, RN, took over as the volunteer Director of Homeless Animals Relief Project in 2022. With a doctorate in nursing and years of professional & administrative experience, she has expanded Homeless Animals Relief Project services and increased the number of cats we fix yearly. She's also increased funding, set up social media and cat welfare networks, and broadened the scope of services. Every year we fix more cats thanks to our extraordinary volunteers and donors.
Denise also led HARP to be recognized in 2022 as one of the best charities in MS.
Their Impact
Our Director
Their Impact
With our spay/neuter efforts and your gifts, we've stopped hundreds of thousands of litters to fulfill our mission to reduce animal overpopulation and the subsequent suffering of homeless animals. We are proud to have made a positive difference in our community and beyond. We've reduced taxpayer cost to manage unwanted animals, vaccinated
With our spay/neuter efforts and your gifts, we've stopped hundreds of thousands of litters to fulfill our mission to reduce animal overpopulation and the subsequent suffering of homeless animals. We are proud to have made a positive difference in our community and beyond. We've reduced taxpayer cost to manage unwanted animals, vaccinated against rabies and other diseases, helped cats stay in their homes.