The Animal Lovers Assistance League, an active organization of more than 500 supporters, were the recipients again in 2010 of the award as the Non-Profit Organization of the Year in Currituck County.  According to ALAL president Ginger Sikes, " It is the efforts of many volunteers as well as our dedicated staff and the many citizens in the area who are kind enough to come adopt from our shelter, as well as from other shelters in the area,  that has led to our being able to continue to have a high adoption rate.  Increasingly people are beginning to look towards adopting pets from animal shelters and making them a part of their family.  Contributing to this in Currituck  has been the $10,000. Petsmart Charities� Spay and Neuter Grant, the funds for which were recently matched by the Currituck County Commissioners for continuing this beneficial program.   Adding the microchipping of shelter animals prior to their adoption, and the 30 days of free pet insurance for pets adopted from the Currituck Animal Shelter has also helped encourage adoptions.

The  current animal shelter is much too small to house the number of animals received, provide healthy intake and living conditions so that diseases are not spread from infected to healthy animals, and to provide adequate holding time in order to get animals adopted. Many county residents work outside of the county and it sometimes takes them more than a week to be able to get to the shelter so that they can reclaim their missing pet. The required holding time is 5 days for non-aggressive and healthy animals. Beyond that the holding period depends largely on the space available. Due to the efforts of many Animal Lovers Assistance League volunteers, we currently have an 88% adoption/rescue rate for adoptable animals, but with the increasing numbers and very small size of the shelter, that rate is unsustainable. The rapid growth of Currituck County increases the demand for our services.

The current shelter cannot be expanded on our present site. It will be demolished when the airport expands in the next couple of years. The County Commissioners have voted to provide 8 acres for a new animal shelter and dog park on county-owned property in the vicinity of the NC Extension Building.

Contractors and building service providers have volunteered $1 million in donated labor and services to build the new shelter.  Low interest rate loans may be available to the county through the USDA Rural Economic Development Commission. Building NOW while costs are low saves money in the long term. Not only does it make good financial sense, the need is there now! The Animal Lovers Assistance League, Inc., annually contributes approximately 30% of the operating costs of the Shelter.

The 7 paid part-time Shelter Staff are supplemented by the more than 400 non-paid volunteer members and donors. They PAY dues and make donations of money, services, and time to benefit the animals! Animal Lovers volunteer service amounts to more than 10,000 hours and more than $63,000. in donations to the county annually. If you would like to help, please make a donation.

Hatteras Connection Seafood Dinner Assists Hatteras Island Meals and Food Pantry

The second annual Hatteras Connection Seafood Dinner raised $2478 for Hatteras Island Meals, Inc., and collected more than ten fish boxes of non-perishable food items and personal care products for the Hatteras Island Food Pantry.   A team of well-known local chefs prepared fish donated by island fishermen and fish dealers for the December 7 dinner at the Hatteras Village Civic Center.

"Folks from every sector of the island worked to make the dinner a success," said Susan West, Hatteras Connection coordinator.  People traveled from as far as Corolla and Down East, Carteret County, to attend the dinner.

Hatteras Island Meals, Inc. serves daily lunches to as many as 45 people who are homebound, convalescing from surgery, or dealing with extenuating medical conditions. 

The Cape Hatteras United Methodist Men's Food Pantry was used 2260 times helping people with more than 100,000 meals last year and assisting 183 families with medical and housing expenses.