MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Muskegon Humane Society is thanking everyone who supported them since Monday, when they first shared about a check fraud situation that left the shelter out nearly $10,000.
Now, they're counting the theft as "one of the biggest blessing we have ever had," thanks to a show of support from community members, who chipped in to keep the shelter going.
On Monday, the shelter posted on Facebook and said someone had altered a check intended for a bill payment, upping the amount from $80 to $9,980.
The jump made it through fraud detection, and the shelter's account took a massive hit.
"This amount of money is more than any fundraiser we've done this year," the shelter said in the Facebook post. "To have it just disappear...IS DEVASTATING."
While the shelter is working with police to track down the person responsible, the shelter says that contributions from supporters really saw them through.
On Wednesday, the shelter said they were "overwhelmed" by kindness in all forms.
"The calls, messages, visits, volunteer applications, and donations have filled our hearts and renewed our strength," the shelter wrote in a follow-up Facebook post.
According to the shelter, their bank was able to return the stolen money before police even filed their claim.
In addition, the shelter said that, thanks to the influx in donations, they could now cross projects off their to-do list instead of asking for donations on upcoming Giving Tuesday, saying they plan to replace a broken heater in a cat room and provide two important surgeries.
"This event, though it really was devastating to start, has turned into one of the biggest blessing we have ever had," the shelter said.
The shelter also described a few of the challenges hitting animal rescues recently, such as low adoption rates, high surrender rates, and increased costs. However, the shelter says it's investing in new ways to keep up.
"We want to be here today, tomorrow, and a hundred years from now, making our community and the lives of its animals better," said the Muskegon Humane Society.
