When the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits & Philanthropy and the Mississippi Business Journal announced their top 30 nonprofits for 2022, local nonprofit Homeless Animals Relief Project (HARP) was one of those chosen — out of 15,000 nonprofits in Mississippi. Director Denise Bynum accepted the award at the ceremony held in Jackson on November 18.
“We are so honored to receive this award, and I want to thank our donors, seven volunteers, the three veterinarians and their staff who toiled to help less fortunate cats, plus the residents of our communities who cared enough to get their cats fixed. They made this possible,” said Bynum. Founded in Tate County in 1996, HARP’s mission is to reduce the overpopulation of cats and their subsequent suffering by offering free or very low cost spay/neuter to cats living with the poor, and to wild feral or free roaming community cats. HARP has no paid staff and in its decades of service to our community has proven itself to be an efficient charity with substantial impact. This history means HARP is also certified at the Gold Level by charitynavigator.org.
For 2022, HARP has paid for 918 cats’ spay or neuter surgery and vaccines. That included a three-year rabies vaccination at no charge, to help protect the cats and our community. Administrative costs for a telephone, office supplies and a website totaled $2,000 and is paid by a benefactor. HARP uses no grants or donations for fundraising purposes; donations go directly to benefit cats. HARP volunteers answered 330 calls from 280 owners for assistance with getting cats fixed in Tate and our thirteen surrounding counties.
HARP’s efficiency is revealed in their impact: The five hundred female cats fixed prevented about 1,000 litters (or 5,000 kittens at 5 kittens per litter), and neutering 289 male cats means an estimated 7,000 matings prevented over the same 12-month period. HARP’s work results in fewer unwanted cats, decreased suffering of homeless cats, plus healthier cats and stronger communities. By keeping cats out of municipal shelters and reducing their number on our streets, taxpayer resources are also conserved.
Please join HARP in this mission to improve feline and community welfare in our area. Always get your cats fixed by the age of five months (see fixbyfive.org) to avoid breeding and pregnancy. If you cannot afford this care, HARP may be able to help. Call 662-292-0922 for information. And because HARP simply doesn’t have enough funds to offer this birth control surgery to all the cats who need it, please consider giving to help fix more cats. You can donate at www.homelessanimalsreliefproject.org, on the Homeless Animals Relief-HARP Facebook page, or by mailing your gift to POB 371, Senatobia MS 38668. Remember, your gift goes farther when you give local to a small efficient charity, plus you can enjoy seeing the fruit of your gift in your own community.
