Day 3: Friends of Strays with Councilwoman Rice

On Wednesday morning, Councilmember Rice was far from city hall, and her formal council attire. Donning jeans, rubber gloves and a ponytail, Rice got busy helping out the staff and volunteers at Friends of Strays Animal Shelter. During National Volunteer Week, Rice has been lifting up local non-profits doing the heavy lifting in St. Petersburg. Friends of Strays is another of these great causes.  

Councilwoman Rice cleaning out animal cages at Friends of Strays

An animal lover herself, Rice considers her German Shepherd and 3 cats part of her family. She spent the morning cleaning cages, walking dogs, petting kittens, and talking with the Friends of Strays staff about their mission and latest projects. 

Friends of Strays began as most non-profits do – with a need and a passion. Co-founder Jean Bomonti and her friends would ride their bikes around St. Pete picking up stray cats. At the time, animal control really only took care of dogs. Friends of Strays formalized out of their friendship and began as a stray cat rescue in the 1978 with a dedication of caring for and adopting out homeless and abandoned pets.

This year, they celebrate their 40th anniversary as a shelter with a number of showcase events and programs. Despite their long tenure in the Tampa Bay Area, they were one of the lesser known animal shelters in town until Dara Eckart, the current Executive Director, took over in November 2016. That’s when they began creating community partnerships, improving relationships, and getting involved throughout the community.

Their increased visibility can be summed up in one number alone – their number of adoptions went from 570 adoptions

Executive Dara Eckart (right)

in 2016 to 1028 adoptions in 2017. In 2018, their goal is 1200, and Eckhart says they’re on target to hit it.

Alongside their adoption goals, they’re taking their 40th anniversary as an opportunity to expand. They’re renovating the west side of Friends of Strays building to better house dogs – doubling the number of dogs they can hold from 12 to 24 – and updating their medical suite to allow for better care. Their eventual goal will be to open a low-cost spay and neuter clinic to compliment the services they already have, like their pet food pantry, to prevent animals from becoming homeless in the first place.

Friends of Strays partners with local establishments like Pinellas Ale Works for their recurring Yappy Hours (the Fourth Thursday of every month), an initiative they’re looking to expand to other local pet-friendly businesses.

Friends of Strays is also planning a year-long series of fundraising events to celebrate their 40th anniversary, beginning with Shuffle for Strays on May 6th from 2-5pm, at the St. Pete Shuffleboard Courts. Other events of the year will include Alley Cats, a bowling tournament in July, and their signature event, Wags and Whiskers will take place for the second year at the Duncan McClellan Gallery in the Warehouse Arts District. 

“Events are a lot of work,” says Eckhart, “but it pays off so much in getting out in the community and getting our names out.” The visibility not only helps with increasing the number of volunteers and adoptions, but also with sponsors and fundraisers, “People started popping up out of the woodwork and saying they want to support our cause because of getting out there in the community and letting people know what we do,” says Eckhart.

As Friends of Strays gets more community love, they have also decided to give more back. They recently started a Cuddle Break program in partnership with the St. Pete Fire Department. They bring puppies to play at the fire station, with the goal of reducing stress and adding some joy. They plan to hit every shift at every station by the year’s end. Friends of Strays considers it just one small thing they can do to fight the national epidemic of suicide among first responders.