Evanston Animal Shelter’s new location opened earlier this October at 2310 Oakton St. Its programs offer unique and helpful opportunities to people and animals in need.
The process for opening the new location was long and took lots of planning, according to Vicky Pasenko, executive director at Evanston Animal Shelter
“It took five years. It started with us applying for a grant from Cook County, and that process took several months. Once that grant was awarded, we had to go through picking an architectural firm,” said Pasenko.
Pasenko’s role involves a bit of everything at the new shelter. Her work includes animal care, fundraising, grant applications, and day-to-day management tasks. “It’s a different job every day, and that’s one of the things I love about it,” said Pasenko.
One thing Pasenko wants people to know about is the mood of the shelter. “It’s not a sad place; people think animal shelters are sad, and while there certainly are sad moments, it’s a very happy place,” said Pasenko. “We take in animals that have been abandoned or lost and we put them on a path to a better life.”
Evanston Animal Shelter’s last location was much smaller and its heating and cooling system didn’t work; as a result, the new location was a necessity “Everything was just falling, so it was really just born out of necessity,” said Pasenko.
The new shelter offers many unique opportunities to both people and animals in need. For example, their pet pantry provides pet food to people in need of financial aid, ensuring that they can keep their pets instead of surrendering them. They also have a program that takes in people’s pets for a few weeks while the owners can get back on their feet. Additionally, another program they have helps senior citizens pay for the care their pets need.
“Our goal is to help people keep their pets and not have to surrender their pets to us,” explained Pasenko.
The shelter is still seeking help, and high school students have the opportunity to volunteer there as a way to spend time with animals and get community service hours.
“From the high school perspective, you can volunteer with the cats when you’re sixteen. With dogs, you have to be eighteen,” said Pasenko. “We definitely always need more volunteers, and we always need donations.”
