The BEST way to get every shelter to zero kill is by reducing intake at the source. Hendricks Humane provides spay/neuter surgeries for owned dogs and cats plus unowned community cats saving thousands of lives every year. Additionally, its Pet Food Pantry and Pet Owner Assistance Fund supports keeping pets in loving homes to live happy, healthy lives. Hendricks Humane has set a 2021 goal to fund spay/neuter surgeries for 1,000 Hendricks County dogs and cats (includes owned dogs & cats plus community cats)! This is a significant increase over past years but is our priority for 2021. We, as a community, cannot empty the shelters and rescues through adoptions only but can make a dent by spay/neuters and providing support to pet owners to minimize surrendering pets to the County Shelter or rescues. To accomplish this goal, we must 1.) increase our fundraising from grants and public donations; 2) educate the community, especially regarding community cats, to understand the benefits of spay/neuter and 3) engage the community to partner with Hendricks Humane to make a difference. Our 2021 budget for funding 1,000 surgeries is $50,000, an increase of $16,500 over our 2020 budget. We are seeking grants in addition to public donations to raise these funds and are seeking more volunteers to help with the Community Cats TNR program.