(Baldwin County)

Chris Myers Automall chose the Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) all-volunteer cat adoption team for the November  Extra Mile Award $500 check presentation.   To view the Fox 10 TV commercial of the Extra Mile Award check presentation visit www.BaldwinHumane.org.

Boxes taped shut with kittens inside abandoned at ballparks and litters dumped apparently by breeders at a school parking lot are typical rescues the Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) Kitten Kaboodles (KK) volunteers do.

A mound of ants disguised the four kittens -- just days old --beside a dumpster at a local flea market.  Only one survived – it’s a “Wonder” since her right eye ulcerated and had to be removed.

“Wonder” was the 560th cat who went from discarded to highly regarded when the all-volunteer KK team rescued them between 2008 and 2011.

BARC’s innovative KK program functions through a network of retail adoption sites, veterinarians and fosters who provide adoption space and socialization for tame cats that have been abandoned, neglected or abused.

Year-round BARC’s cats can be seen at their office in downtown Fairhope,  Old Tyme Feed in Fairhope and PetSmart Eastern Shore Center. They also have by-appointment-only adoption centers in Foley, Spanish Fort and Fairhope.

Glenda Turner has been the volunteer KK coordinator since the program was founded in 2000. The all-volunteer team who have done as many as 15 cat adoptions in a single week,  includes Jayne Dillion, Nancy Johnson, Donna  Lundy, Shirley Kittrell, Cheryl Bishop, Linda King, GretchenFunderburk, Martha Barton, Nancy Martin, Bob and Carol Vick and Libby and David Levine.  Turner remarked “The $500 Extra Mile check will provide basic medical care for about 60 cats in the Kitten Kaboodle program.”

“The gift of time is a precious asset to our animals and it takes a special person to love all our homeless animals and we recognize this wonderful deed” remarked Sonja Presley, BARC! Executive Director.  “They are the most amazing  and dedicated people you will ever encounter.”

BARC! has a diverse variety of kittens and grown cats:  Diluted Torti, Marble Tabby, Bobtail, Maine Coon, Tuxedo, Calico, Manx, Flame Point Siamese, Gray/White Tabby, Russian Blue, Cameo Tabby, Seal Pint, Swirl, long haired Orange Tabby, Gray/Black Smoke and Irish cats.

BARC! is a no-kill adoption agency (rather than a shelter) established in 1979.  To adopt, foster, volunteer or donate, call 251.928.4585.