First, the good news: The Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City did not cease operations in June.

Following the revelation in late May that Cherryland was in dire financial straits and facing closure within weeks, the community quickly organized fundraisers and events galore.

The Ticker was curious: How much money have all these events brought in? How much does the Humane Society need? And what does it cost to run the safe haven anyway?

Thanks to the sheer number of fundraisers and donations rolling in daily, Cherryland Executive Director Mike Cherry says it’s hard to pin down a precise total, but he estimates the organization has raised roughly $120,000 so far – bringing it roughly two-thirds of the way to its $200,000 goal.

He rattles off a few unforgettable fundraisers: The 9-year-old girl who went door to door asking for donations, then gave cookies as a thank you. She raised $1,200 – and then her gift was matched. The folks over at The Blue Goat put the Humane Society’s “doggy bank” out front and raised $60 in the last week. A TV 7 & 4 telethon raised $18,500 in two hours. TBA Credit Union donated some $8,500 from a rummage/bake sale.

Cherry calls the community’s response to the Humane Society's need “overwhelming.” The independent, nonprofit organization is dependent on donations to survive, but he says those donations have fallen off or greatly reduced in size (some were stock-based) over the last couple of years.

It costs $20,000 a month to run the facility, according to Cherry, and a major expense is health-related – medications, inoculations, worming, an independent airflow system to control airborne diseases and heavy-duty cleaning supplies are essential to ensure the wellness of the large group of dogs and cats living together, as many as 70 at one time.

“This is a very critical, sizeable part of the budget,” says Cherry. “We don’t want to skimp on the animals.”

In addition to attempting to raise the organization's operating budget through the end of the year, it also is trying to rebuild its reserves, which Cherry says had been very nearly depleted. “We don’t want to live on the kind of margin we were living on for the last couple of months,” he says.

Want to help? Here’s four easy ways:

Donate Dollars

Donate Supplies
Cherry says everything from food and cat litter to laundry detergent and garbage bags helps the 55-year-old organization curb expenses without compromising animal care.

Eat
This Wednesday, June 29, The Soul Hole in Traverse City will donate all dine-in food sales. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Swing
Elmbrook Golf Course is hosting a Humane Society fun night this Friday, July 1, that includes a 9-hole scramble, cookout and concert. For non-golfers there is a cookout/concert only option. 946.9180.