Oktibbeha County’s Humane Society (OCHS) has taken a new, convenient approach to earning donations over the last few years with the help of an Amazon wish list and Amazon Smile.
According to OCHS’s general manager, Christy Wells, the shelter has created wish lists for the past few years; however, the idea has taken off within the last year.
“A lot of people wanted to donate, and there’s a lot of options,” Wells said. “A lot of people do find it kind of hard to come to the shelter because it can be emotional, so that was the biggest thing. It is super convenient for everybody.”
The shelter began this wish list when community members wanted to help the shelter, but were not able to physically go there, according to Director of Development and Community Relations Martha Thomas.
“We have been approached by multiple community members wanting to donate supplies to us, and with Amazon being one of the largest, if not the largest retailer in the world, an Amazon wish list seemed like a great idea to connect that largest retailer with those interested in purchasing things,” Thomas said. “We created the wish list with items that are used routinely in a shelter, so they add those items to their cart and the items are shipped directly to the shelter.”
Furthermore, the items on the wish list vary greatly. Food, collars, leashes, office supplies and enrichment toys are just a few of the items on the list. Enrichment toys, according to Wells, has been the most popular item donated. The enrichment program helps animals by improving their well-being, lessening the stress being in shelters can cause.
 “We developed the enrichment program to help them out with that, and kind of reduce their stress while they are here and make them adoptable,” Wells said. ”We even have different levels. If a dog or cat has been here for a significant amount of time, what we do is we will upgrade their enrichment. Everything gets the same thing on a schedule, but if they have been here for an extended length of time, we will give them extras.”
According to Thomas, the items needed on the wish list vary in pricing.
“There are a couple of items on there that are just a few dollars on up to items that are about $50 to $70,” Thomas said. “We try to put a good range of items on there.”
With the donations via the Amazon wish list, many of the items qualify for Amazon Prime’s free two-day shipping or free shipping with purchases over $25, and the orders are shipped directly to the animal shelter.
“Every now and then, we get a couple of things each month,” Thomas said. “Sometimes there is some really generous folks, and we will all of a sudden get several Amazon packages in one day. Our staff says it is like Christmas because we never know they are coming until they show up at the door. It’s really exciting, and we get to open the packages, see what it is and distribute it around the shelter.”
When the shelter receives Amazon packages, the staff sends a “thank you” note to the sender, according to Thomas.
While the Amazon wish list is one way for community members to donate, OCHS is also partnered with Amazon as a non-profit charity through Amazon Smile.
“If you were to go to smile.amazon, you could click a charity for proceeds to go to,” Wells said. “It doesn’t take anything away from you or cost you anything. It just bases a percentage of your purchase from what you purchased, and it will give it to a charity that you select.”
Through Amazon Smile, the shelter raises about $600 a year, according to Thomas.
With both Amazon Smile and the Amazon wish list, community members can donate year-round; however, the shelter makes an angel tree for the shelter animals around the holidays.
“We have a Christmas tree at the shelter with little hang tags with a pet’s name and their Santa wish list,” Thomas said. “You can pick a pet and ‘adopt’ it for the holidays, and buy things off its wish list, then bring it to the pet. A lot of people really like that because they get to come and interact with that pet and get something that is tailored for them.”
With all of the different ways to donate to the shelter, Thomas said she is thankful for the partnership created between Mississippi State University students and the shelter.
“OCHS is fortunate to be in Starkville, which is of course home to Mississippi State University,” Thomas said. “We have a lot of students who come to volunteer with us or adopt from us, and we are so glad to have that partnership with MSU students. Any way students can get involved, we welcome them. There are some that even foster animals for us. There is always an opportunity to get involved, even if you can’t donate something from the Amazon wish list.”