You’ve seen the donation cans for the Windham County Humane Society around. The coffee cans near cash registers in town where you can toss a few coins to help local animals? Harriet Ives, the keeper of the cans, has passed away at age 96.
Here’s the what WCHS had to say about her in their newsletter:
“Harriet Ives recently passed away, at 96 years old. She was a longtime WCHS supporter and friend to any animal in need and we already miss her.
I will always remember first meeting Harriet when she brought receipts for WCHS’s donation cans, which sat on a retailer’s counter and collected change. The Humane Society was financially suffering after housing and caring for animals seized from a hoarding case. Every penny was desperately needed.
Harriet and her greyhound co-pilot logged thousands of miles collecting donations from over 100 different shops all across Windham County. She insisted on using coffee cans – those fancy, modern plexiglass things were a waste of money. She meticulously counted the bills, rolled all the coins and tracked all the money she collected and brought to the bank for deposit
Every time Harriet dropped off receipts, we would chat about the improvements we were making to meet the needs of the community. Slow changes, just like the coins piling up in the donation cans all over the county.
Her last years had health challenges and I didn’t get to see her during the pandemic; however, she took great joy in knowing two current board members picked up her routes and the can donations still were part of WCHS’s funding for lifesaving medical care for homeless animals.
She will always be an inspiration because she knew that massive good can come from simple ideas and small actions. From a can to collect coins to today’s Facebook fundraisers, philanthropy springs from taking action.
Thank you Harriet, for being a champion for animals. Godspeed from all of us at the Windham County Humane Society.”
