In the spirit of generosity that characterizes the holiday season, an anonymous donor has given Dessin Animal Shelter in Honesdale a gift of $5,000 to support its Spay/Neuter Program for cats and kittens. “She approached us to help curb overpopulation, which is especially abundant in felines, and thought this would be a perfect time of year to ‘give back’ to the community,” said executive director Dara Coslett Granza.

Sigrid’s Animal Trust allows the shelter to provide vouchers for free surgical procedures for 100 felines. Announced last week, demand for the vouchers was so strong that most have already been claimed. The procedure normally costs over $100, but several area veterinarians will perform the surgeries at the reduced rate of $50 in order to maximize the opportunity to sterilize the cats. Veterinarians at Cherry Ridge Veterinary Clinic, Carbondale Veterinary Hospital and Orson Corners Veterinary Clinic are participating.

Dessin also provides a community-funded voucher program that continues to need support. Vouchers can be purchased from Dessin at a cost of $5 to use for sterilizing a cat or kitten. The voucher is worth $35 toward neutering a male cat or $50 toward spaying a female cat. In the nearly 12 years since it was initiated, Dessin’s Spay/Neuter Program is estimated to have prevented the unwanted births of nearly 10,000 kittens and over 2,000 puppies.

Granza said that in addition to asking community members to consider adding the shelter to their holiday gift list, volunteers are also being sought for its foster animal program. Participants provide a temporary home and care for cats or kittens when there is inadequate room at the shelter. For more information, contact shelter manager Debbie Moore at 570/253-4037. Visit www.dessinshel ter.com/spay.html to learn more about the Spay/Neuter Program.