Lewiston & Auburn Spca

 Auburn     Maine

http://www.gahumane.org     << visit website

Categories:  Animal, Community Service, [ view all ]

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Lewiston & Auburn Spca Charity Profile

The Greater Androscoggin Humane Society (formerly known as the Lewiston-Auburn SPCA) was incorporated as a nonprofit volunteer organization on February 25th 1885. Our first President was the Honorable Nelson M. Dingley, Jr., a former Governor of Maine, U.S. Congressman and founder of our local paper, the Lewiston Daily Journal (now known as the Sun Journal).

The Society’s original mission was to protect work horses and children from abuse. Volunteers carried on this mission until 1912 when they first decided to create a “home” for stray animals. Sadly, there was not enough money to buy the land needed for the Shelter so they continued to function primarily as an advocate for animal rights and welfare.

In the early 1970’s the Humane Society was granted a “generous donation” from a caring individual. This encouraged the Board of Directors to organize a fundraising committee, purchase land and in 1972 our first Shelter was built in Auburn. This building was then considered “state of the art,” intended to accommodate just over 1,000 animals per year and operated with a staff of volunteers and part time employees.

Through the years, animal numbers continued to grow and the Shelter itself also grew through a number of renovations to accommodate the growth until 1998. That summer it was announced that the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society had begun to search for land to build a new Animal Shelter. One able to accommodate the now more than 3,500 animals the Shelter received a year and one that could grow with the needs of the community. In 2000 the land on Strawberry Avenue was purchased and following 6 long years of fundraising efforts, construction began on the new facility in April 2006. Then on January 25th 2007 26 cats, 10 dogs, 4 rabbits, 6 guinea pigs, 3 gerbils and 2 rats made the trip from the old Shelter in Auburn to the new, current facility in Lewiston. Today, we take in nearly 5,000 animals a year and thankfully have a new facility to accommodate the animals and the needs of the community.