May 24—The Kokomo Humane Society was recently awarded a $70,000 grant from Petco Love, a national nonprofit organization.

Karen Wolfe, executive director of the Kokomo Humane Society, explained the funds will be used for each of the organization's life-saving efforts.

One example she gave was the recently launched Pet Assistance Program, which administers free vaccines, microchips, ID tags, flea prevention medication and assisted spay or neuters for owned cats in Howard County.

The grant will also let the Humane Society create a new staff position meant to enhance and jumpstart programs with a mobile adoption vehicle. The Humane Society plans to have the adoption vehicle delivered by the end of July, Wolfe said.

The executive director said the vehicle would be dubbed the "Love Bus" and will help the Humane Society with adoption, pet assistance and outreach efforts.

"This $70,000 investment is so important to the Kokomo Humane Society as it enables us to continue to grow our mission," Wolfe wrote in a press release. "Support from Petco Love makes it possible for us to save more lives and improve the lives of animals in our shelter as well as have positive impact on owned pets in our community."

The Humane Society also helps with animal cruelty investigations, 24-hour emergency service and enforcement of local ordinances, the press release stated.

The local organization saves more than 90% of the animals that come to the shelter each year, the press release added. Data on the Humane Society's website shows 92% of the dogs and cats that were brought to the shelter in 2022 were saved.

Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love, said the grant for Kokomo's Humane Society was part of a larger initiative that distributed more than $15 million to local organizations across the nation.

"Our local investments are only part of our strategy to empower animal lovers to drive lifesaving change right alongside us. We recently launched Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database that uses pet image technology to simplify the search for lost pets," Kogut wrote in the press release.

For more information about the Kokomo Humane Society, or to check out animals available for adoption, visit kokomohumane.org.