St Joseph County awarded animal welfare grant

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s State Veterinarian James Averill announced the Michigan Companion Animal Welfare Fund check-off will fund projects totaling more than $155,000 for 26 registered shelters in 2015.
St. Joseph County is one of the recipients, as it will be awarded nearly $5,600.
This year’s awards will go to the spaying and neutering of animals, fund registration fees for anti-cruelty training conferences, and help cover costs for protecting and caring for Michigan animals subjected to cruelty or neglect.
MDARD received 64 applications requesting more than $600,000 in funding. The maximum grant allotment is $10,000. The evaluation committee selected the successful applicants based upon the quality of the application as well as whether they registered with MDARD as an animal shelter, and had no fines in the previous two years.