Organizations pool resources to assist local animal refuge

Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 3:00 am (Updated: April 6, 3:00 am)

Jill Pickett Bill Nall of Southern States loads a bag of cat food Tuesday into an SUV, as Larry Jaggers II of Hardin County Farm Bureau carries another bag followed by Mark Thomas of Hardin County Cattlemen’s Association, Penny Edwards, manager of the Animal Refuge Center in Vine Grove and Jade Sadler of Farm Credit Mid-America at Southern States in Elizabethtown. The food was approximately 500 pounds of a 2,000-pound donation to the shelter. The remaining food will be picked up by the shelter as needed. Buy this photo
Jill Pickett
Bill Nall of Southern States loads a bag of cat food Tuesday into an SUV, as Larry Jaggers II of Hardin County Farm Bureau carries another bag followed by Mark Thomas of Hardin County Cattlemen’s Association, Penny Edwards, manager of the Animal Refuge Center in Vine Grove and Jade Sadler of Farm Credit Mid-America at Southern States in Elizabethtown. The food was approximately 500 pounds of a 2,000-pound donation to the shelter. The remaining food will be picked up by the shelter as needed.
Buy this photo

Staff and volunteers at Vine Grove Animal Refuge spent most of their day Tuesday unloading a ton of donated food — literally.

It’s the eighth year the organization has benefited from a donation of 2,000 pounds of pet food from four organizations in Hardin County — Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance, Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association, Farm Credit Mid-America and Southern States. Chuck Crutcher of the Cattlemen’s Association said the initiative was started almost a decade ago to keep money helping animals locally.

“Back years ago, there were a lot of animal rights groups showing pictures about how pets and livestock were being mistreated,” he said. “This is kind of telling people that those pictures that are depicted, not everybody is doing this and we care for our animals whether they’re small or large.”

The shelter has more than 100 cats, but also has dogs, goats and geese on the property.

Shelter manager Penny Ed­wards said a large number of the animals they care for are disabled — some are blind, deaf or have medical conditions such as diabetes.

Jill Pickett A cat stands on a table Tuesday in the renovated basement of the Animal Refuge Center in Vine Grove. A drop ceiling, new lighting, upgrades to the walls and floor were made possible by a large donation to the shelter. Buy this photo
Jill Pickett
A cat stands on a table Tuesday in the renovated basement of the Animal Refuge Center in Vine Grove. A drop ceiling, new lighting, upgrades to the walls and floor were made possible by a large donation to the shelter.

Because it isn’t a county- or city-affiliated shelter, Edwards also doesn’t benefit from state funding, she said, so any donation is welcome.

“That’s a huge help,” she said. “We probably go through approximately four tons (of food) a year.”

The shelter just opened a refurbished basement area this past weekend, which has freshly painted walls and floors and a finished ceiling thanks to an anonymous $7,000 donation.

Edwards said the renovation means dust can be kept out of the area easier as the ceiling is enclosed, and an exhaust placed in a downstairs laundry room means hot air is taken outside rather than making the area too warm and humid during the summer.

The shelter will have an open house from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. May 1 to show off the animals and renovated space.

Emma Kennedy can be reached at or ekennedy@thenewsenterprise.com. 

Spread the word about the Animal Refuge Center and its work for the homeless pets of Hardin County, Kentucky to all your friends and family! We can't do our work without YOUR support!

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