No Shelter yet, but still saving lives and making a difference: Humane Society presses on
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What started as a year of spinning wheels and miscommunications has officially transformed into full-steam-ahead progress for the grassroots animal rescue group that emerged in early 2024. And last night’s community meeting – though less a meeting and more a passionate monologue by Heart 2 Heart Humane Society President, Allen Kubinski – made one thing clear: they’re done waiting, and they’re making it happen. Gone are the days of endless committee back-and-forth. In their place? A stack of comment cards, snacks, posters, and a powerhouse of volunteers getting their hands dirty for a cause that matters.
How It Started: A Year of Spinning in Circles
It all began when the county sheriff rallied the community to address escalating animal welfare issues. He identified an unused, county-owned building, formerly a behavioral health facility, and pointed to a generous $500,000 trust earmarked for an animal shelter. But then came the fog. Confusion about the funding, misinformation about requirements, and the general chaos that ensues when too many well-meaning people try to play telephone without a clear signal. As Allen put it, “We were just chasing our tails. We didn’t really have any other plan. Things were slow, things were delayed. We got tired of waiting. So we’re trying to actually get things done!”
What’s Working: TNVR & the Food Bank
In March 2025, they officially launched a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program and a community animal food bank and they’ve been busy.
“We’ve had over 130 cats that we’ve fixed through our TNVR program! And that’s with mainly two people being able to trap and transport.” The need for volunteers is urgent. “Even if you have a bathroom to host cats to recover in after their surgery, please fill out on your comment cards what you’re able and willing to do.” That’s not all: “We also have the food bank, and we’ve redistributed almost 600 lbs of pet food—and that’s just dry food!!! 559 lbs, specifically, and that doesn’t include the 36.5 cases of wet food and treats!”
The Building & The Trust:
Plan A:
The dream isn’t dead. That empty county building is still their Plan A, and now that they’ve restructured and have tangible progress to show, Heart 2 Heart is crafting a new proposal to present to county officials. “There are a few repairs that would need to be done, we’ve actually had a contractor out there before though, and we could get all that done for 100k or less and that’s before any donated materials or labor!” Previous misunderstandings about the trust created confusion. “We were under the assumption that it only had to be a no kill shelter. That actually wasn’t one of the stipulations.” After sitting down with the trustee directly, Allen clarified: “The actual stipulations from the trustee’s mouth himself, was that it has to be on county-owned land, and a commitment of funds to continue operating the shelter.” Heart 2 Heart isn’t waiting idly. “So instead of waiting around for the money and such, which I hope we do get, we’re still just gonna…do our own thing!”
Plan B: Making It Work Anyway
In the meantime, they’ve set up a makeshift HQ in a donated storage unit and plan to move into Second Time Around, a local thrift store that has committed 100% of its proceeds to the nonprofit. “We’ll be kind of using it as a headquarters. It’s not our store, but all of the proceeds made there will go directly to us.” Volunteers are needed to staff the shop, and the location may also provide a place for cats to recover post-surgery. Partner organizations like Nassau Humane Society, Cats Angels, and First Coast No More Homeless Pets have played major roles. “Cats Angels has helped us out immensely with networking and mentoring us…they’ve actually come out and helped us trap and transport with their TNVR van before!” Looking ahead, they’re planning a “massive TNVR effort” and building a community event for Labor Day. “We’re also coming up with a Labor Day cookout event… if you guys wanna volunteer, donate anything, if you guys know someone that’s good at grilling… anything helps!”
Still Growing: Future Plans & A “Van Plan”
Heart 2 Heart has a vision that goes beyond cats and food. “We would love a TNVR vehicle.
I drive a little Nissan Altima… I can’t fit that many cat traps in there and I definitely can’t transport dogs.” Their expansion plan includes eventually building out dog-related services too: “That’s also another reason we don’t handle dogs at the moment, is that we don’t have the resources right now.” But connections are forming, progress is being made. They’ve already had small wins on the dog front- most notably, a new microchip station. “We were able to install it at the sheriff station… the first microchip station in the county.”
The Big Picture: Not a Secret Club – A Society
Through it all, Heart 2 Heart remains committed to transparency, growth, and bringing more people into the fold. “We don’t wanna be some secret animal club, we would love to be a society.” As Allen put it: “If we put the aces in their places, we can get a lot done.”
HOW TO HELP:
* Volunteer time (trapping, transport, admin work, or even writing letters!)
* Donate food, supplies, or funds
* Attend the upcoming TNVR N Tater Chips Cookout at Homeland Park (details coming soon!
* Shop at Second Time Around to support the society
* Follow Heart 2 Heart on social media for updates
Want to help but not sure how? “Spoiler alert, you don’t have to trap feral cats at 2 am. There’s plenty of other ways to help. If you’re willing to help, we can find a place for you.”
Monetary donations can be sent to Heart 2 Heart Humane Society, Inc., P.O. Box 64, Folkston, GA 31537. If you’d like to volunteer or donate pet food please email them at info@h2hhumane.org
