Gimme Shelter is a response to animal abuse and abandonment in Hamden (CT) during 2016. Hamden & North Haven residents Steffy Tirado, Dian Viesslemann, Jerry Dananberg, and Lenny Young were all previous acquaintances through the Hamden Dog Park. They believe that the silent majority of pet people are caring souls and will step up when given a platform. That platform came on January 16th when the following article appeared in the Post-Chronicle:
http://www.ctpostchronicle.com/news/lawmakers-ask-malloy-for-help-in-getting-hamden-north-haven/article_d37a31f3-2d34-53aa-beb2-b04f9fae30d8.html
Personal Banker and walking companion Cheryl Castellano was brought on board to oversee money transactions and Gimme Shelter was born on January 19th of 2017. In December 2017, our donations helped inspire the Town of Hamden to create an Animal Shelter Gift Fund for the sole purpose of creating a new or Regional Animal Shelter. The fund has a “virtual lock” on it so those donated funds may not be reappropriated, all proceeds now get deposited there.
Our all-volunteer group plans and executes fundraisers to raise awareness & funds for the first-ever Hamden Animal Shelter. Whether it is a life-changing diagnosis or a single pet parent dies, there should be a safe and legal option to rehome a pet in a town of 62,000.