The $75 Impact: A Saturday at Cherryland Humane Society
- CatCause
- May 10
- 2 min read
This Saturday was spent up north in Traverse City, Michigan, for a day of expanding our immediate impact animal shelter donations to reach more shelters in the state of Michigan. The May 2026 Shelter of the Month nominee is Cherryland Humane Society. The donation consisted of $75 worth of both kitten wet food along with premium dry kitten chow.
Why Kitten Food?
Most people don’t realize that animal shelters operate on a seasonal rhythm. We are currently moving into "Kitten Season"—the time of year when shelters are flooded with new litters that require specialized care. The Michigan Gap: In Michigan shelters, kittens account for a staggering 50% of all feline intakes across the state.
While adult cat maintenance food is always appreciated, kitten food is a high-utility resource. It’s calorie-dense, high in protein, and essential for the growth of the youngest residents. More importantly, shelters often use it to help senior cats or recovering animals put on weight.
The Shopping List:
Purina Fancy Feast Kitten Classic Pate: (72 individual meals) Chosen for its high protein content and soft texture, which is ideal for weaning kittens and mixing with medications.
Purina Kitten Chow Nurture: (14 lbs.) A bulk staple for consistent nutrition.
The Drop-Off: Cherryland Humane Society Thrift Store
The "Shelter of the Month" award isn't just about the supplies. It’s about highlighting the entire ecosystem of support. This includes visiting the Cherryland Humane Society Thrift Shop on South Airport Road.
Walking up to the donation door, you realize how much these organizations can benefit from growing community support. Every bag of dry food and every case of wet food frees up the Humane Society's budget for medical care, spay/neuter programs, and the incredible "From Hope to Home" capital campaign they are currently running to expand their facilities.
Charity thrift stores are the engine rooms of local non-profits. When you shop there, 100% of the proceeds go right back into the kennels and clinics. Seeing the dedication of the volunteers at the thrift shop reminded me why we do this: because animal welfare is a community-wide effort.
How You Can Support Cherryland Humane Society:
Located just off Cass Road, the Cherryland Humane Society is a "No-Kill, Fear Free" certified beacon for Grand Traverse and Leelanau Counties. To directly support the shelter, you can adopt, volunteer, gift, and purchase items at the thrift store (proceeds go directly to Cherryland Humane Society).
What’s Next?
This trip to Traverse City was more than just a delivery; it was a reminder of the "100% for Shelters" promise in action. As we look toward the next "Shelter of the Month," we are taking the lessons from Cherryland—the importance of timing, the value of specific nutritional needs, and the power of local storytelling—to make our next impact even larger.
To the team at Cherryland: Thank you for the work you do. To our community: Thank you for making this $75 impact possible.
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