MAPS to break ground on new facility
For Hub City Times
MARSHFIELD – In 2011, a small group of community members joined together to pursue a community need for an animal shelter. Marshfield Area Pet Shelter (MAPS) began as a small group of volunteers fostering cats and dogs in their homes and now maintain daily operations for at two separate locations – an intake facility on Marshfield’s 29th Street and Adoption Center inside Marshfield Mall.
“We focused our initial energy on helping the animals that we could and generating awareness about why an animal shelter would benefit our community,” said Karen Rau, MAPS executive director. “Despite the size of our city, we have never had a humane outlet for hundreds of stray animals found on our city streets every year and we decided it was time for a change. The community quickly embraced the concept and supported our mission.”
Through their passion and dedication to helping both animals and their human companions, MAPS has become a staple in the Marshfield community providing valuable services to both animals and people. During their eight years of existence, MAPS has assisted thousands of animals and people.
MAPS credits their continued growth to generous donors, community support, and dedicated volunteers. The new state-of-the-art facility will provide additional space to merge the two current makeshift locations, isolate sick animals, provide more dog kennels with outdoor runs, and will serve as a resource and education center through a new large conference room. The facility will also be a more efficient environment for staff and volunteers to care for animals.
“We are so excited to move forward with another major milestone for MAPS,” said Rau. “We’ve accomplished a lot over the past eight years, and building a brand new facility to serve our animals and our community is a significant step. The new facility will enable us to build brighter futures for years to come.”
MAPS groundbreaking ceremony will take place Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. at 3500 Downwind Drive, in the Air Business Park, Marshfield. All are invited to attend.
