MSSPA launches campaign to build new intake barn

By Ed Pierce

The future is now for the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals in Windham and a new $1.5 million fundraising campaign will help the organization build a new intake barn for abused and neglected horses to heal and recover.

The Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is
conducting 'A Safe Place to Land' fundraising campaign to
raise $1.5 million to build a new eight-stall intake barn
at their facility on River Road in Windham. The project
includes improved paddocks and better footing for healing
horses. Shown is an artist's depiction of the new barn.
SUBMITTED PHOTO     

Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA’s Executive Director, said that plans for the “Safe Place to Land” intake barn have been carefully weighed and discussed for the past two years, and the fundraising campaign has already reached more than halfway toward its $1.5 million goal.

“This will such a huge upgrade for us,” Woodbrey said. “Our current facilities, while functional, no longer meet the needs of our mission. This new barn is so much more than a barn, it’s a promise. A promise to every horse that has a safe place to land, to recover and to start life anew. Everything about the new barn has been discussed, from how the stall doors open to how the fencing is to be configured.”

MSSPA Advancement Director Peg Keyser said that in the last five years, the number of horses arriving at MSSPA has surged with many coming from cases of severe neglect, abuse, or with significant medical challenges. As the complexity of these cases grows, so does the urgency for a dedicated space where incoming horses can receive the care they desperately need.

Keyser says that the “Safe Place to Land” Capital Campaign is an opportunity to create that space, an intake and quarantine barn designed to offer every horse a safe and supportive beginning to their journey of healing.

“This vital facility, along with secure paddocks and necessary footing improvements, will provide the foundation for every horse’s recovery,” she said. “By working together, we can ensure that incoming horses are cared for in an environment that protects their health and wellbeing from the moment they arrive.”

For 152 years, the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA) has been a sanctuary for Maine’s most vulnerable horses including those rescued from abuse, neglect, and heartbreaking circumstances. Its mission is to provide refuge, rehabilitation, and placement of seized equines. MSSPA does not charge for its shelter services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. Horses cared for by the MSSPA come from Maine law enforcement officials and most of them have been abused or neglected.

According to Keyser, the MSSPA’s goal for each horse is rehabilitation and a new home, but if no suitable adoption is found, horses may live out their natural lives at the organization’s farm.

The “Safe Place to Land” campaign has already a matching gift of $500,000 from the McCulloch Family of Southern Maine who will be extended the opportunity to name the new barn. MSSPA also has been fortunate to receive donated thousands of feet of fencing and run-in sheds from the Dyke Horse Farm site in Windham, and RSU 14 now that the school district is building the new Windham Raymond Middle School at the Dyke farm site.

The site for the new intake barn sits on 7 acres of MSSPA’s 124-acre property on River Road in Windham. Plans call for the intake barn to be open-air with eight wooden stalls. The contractor for the intake barn project will be J.M. Brown and sitework will be completed by Shaw Brothers Construction.

Keyser said that the 3,000-square-foot barn will be built on the other side of the MSSPA property from where other horses being cared for are kept. The new barn will feature space for equipment and the project also will include the installation of an electronic security gate at the property.

The new barn will feature dedicated stalls for each equine arrival, reducing potential disease transmission and offering a dry, warm space for horses to heal. Its secure paddock areas and improved footing will allow horses to slowly acclimate to their new surroundings and room for veterinarians to perform health assessments. Because of its location away from the MSSPA herd, the new barn also will have separate grain and medication stations to prevent cross-contamination of food and medicine and streamlines operations for MSSPA staff.

Woodbrey said there is tremendous interest in this project and MSSPA’s engaged donor base consists of horse lovers willing to help.

“We welcome people to make a donation of any size,” she said. “We’re happy to give donors a tour and we really want to make it easy to support this project. The tens of thousands of dollars and donations we’ve received so far represents the best of this community and we could not be more grateful.”

To make a donation online, visit msspa.org/asafeplace or in person at MSSPA, 279 River Road in Windham.

Donations may also be made using the QR code:

 

Woodbrey confident in leading Windham’s MSSPA

By Ed Pierce

When the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals was looking for a new leader to replace longtime executive director Meris Bickford last month, it didn’t have to search very far. Kathy Woodbrey of Raymond, who has been part of the leadership team at MSSPA for the last 11 years, has assumed the leadership role for the nonprofit organization and is eager to put what she’s learned through the years to good use.

Kathy Woodbrey of Raymond will lead the
Maine State Society for the Protection of
Animals as its new executive director. Woodbrey
has worked for the MSSPA for 11 years and
succeeds Meris Bickford, who has retired.
COURTESY PHOTO 

Woodbrey was born in Pennsylvania and her family moved to the mid-coast of Maine the summer before she entered sixth grade. She graduated from Lincoln Academy in Newcastle and went on to receive an Associate of Science degree in animal medical technology from the University of Maine at Orono. In 2004 and 2005, Woodbrey attended Andover College to study accounting and in 2021 she earned a Non-Profit Management certificate from the University of Southern Maine.

She originally joined MSSPA because she was looking to change careers.

“Before working for the MSSPA, I worked for the Raymond School Department while attending Andover College in the evenings. Shortly after graduating from Andover College, I saw a job listing for a "local non-profit," Woodbrey said. “The job listing was a little vague and it did not disclose the name of the organization. Imagine how thrilled I was when I learned it was the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals. I have always loved animals, I am one who roots for the underdog, so I was very pleased to work on behalf of the horses.”

Based in Windham, the mission of the MSSPA is to provide refuge, rehabilitation, and placement of seized equines. MSSPA does not charge for its shelter services and seeks no reimbursement from any public source. Horses cared for by the MSSPA come from Maine law enforcement officials and most of them have been abused or neglected.

The MSSPA’s goal for each horse is rehabilitation and a new home, but if no suitable adoption is found, horses may live out their natural lives at the organization’s farm.

“Most of the MSSPA herd has experienced abuse and neglect at some point in their life,” Woodbrey said. “So, for me the best thing is seeing them content in their surroundings, watching them happily munching on hay, and hearing them nickering to one another.”

According to Woodbrey, she’s not planning on making significant or community engagement regarding MSSPA.

“I have to say that our local community is incredibly supportive of the MSSPA. Members of the local community volunteer at the farm and donate to fundraising campaigns,” she said. “Residents of the Southern Maine Re-entry Facility regularly volunteer and one resident at SMWRC is employed by MSSPA. Students from Windham High School and Windham Middle School volunteer every Friday during the school year. And the Windham Primary School second graders hold a fundraiser for the horses and then come for a field trip each spring. It's a wonderful community and we are glad to be a part of it.”

But like every other nonprofit organization these days, MSSPA is adapting to changing needs in the 21st century, such as working with other groups to help save the lives of animals.

“We are expanding collaborations with other equine shelters in New England and beyond. The MSSPA, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals and the New Hampshire Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals occasionally transfer equines between the shelters which ultimately increases adoptions and affords each organization to help more horses in need,” Woodbrey said. “MSSPA is one of 10 equine shelters in the U.S. to be named as a Mentoring Partner of the Equus Foundation. The Equus partners are recognized for operating at the highest standards for business and equine welfare practices. And last summer, MSSPA transported three wild mustangs from the River Road farm right here in Windham to Skydog Sanctuary's 3,000 acre ranch in Bend, Oregon.”

Her family is excited and supportive about her new leadership role with the MSSPA.

“My husband, Mitch, has always been supportive of me and he values the work of the MSSPA. We live on a small farm in Raymond with two horses, one of which we adopted from the MSSPA,” she said. “Mitch and I share in their daily care. I do morning chores before work, and he does the evening chores after work. My sons Patrick and Justin are also very supportive and help out on the farm when they can.”

She says that her favorite horse at MSSPA is the one who hasn't quite made its way there yet.

“It's the horse who is out there waiting for human intervention, waiting to be brought to the MSSPA where it will receive the very best care from the skilled staff and volunteers,” Woodbrey said. “I’d like readers to know that the MSSPA couldn't rescue, rehabilitate, and adopt formerly abused and neglected equines without their support. Last year MSSPA provided life-saving programming to 134 equines, 32 horses were adopted, fundraising efforts exceeded $1 million, and volunteers donated over 8,500 hours. It may sound cliche but MSSPA's supporters make this vital work possible, and we thank you.” <

MSSPA’ s ‘Feed and Care Bank’ a lifeline for horses, owners in need

Remy, a 6-year-old Tennessee Walker horse living
on a farm in Cumberland County, was helped this spring
by a donation offered by the Maine State Society
for the Protection of Animals. The program assists
equine owners in need with hay, veterinary care and
other essentials on a temporary basis.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Ed Pierce

The fourth year of a unique assistance program offered by the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals has been its most challenging yet, but a growing need is evidence that its value is substantial among those caring for horses.

Founded in 2017, MSSPA’s ‘Feed and Care Bank’ provides temporary, emergency assistance for Maine horses in need and helps equine owners with stop-gap funding that can be used for hay, feed and nutritional supplements, farrier or dental services, routine vaccinations, and veterinary care.

According to Kathy Woodbrey, MSSPA assistant CEO, about 28 applicants have received funding from the ‘Feed and Care Bank’ program in 2020, which she attributes to the effect of the COVID-19 economy on horse owners. 

Woodbrey said applicants for assistance may have lost a job or been furloughed from work, suffered a health issue, or even been challenged by a tough hay growing season.

“And we’re seeing that the pandemic has caused some people not normally in need to seek help,” she said.

The average amount of funds a recipient typically receives from the program is about $250 to $300 per animal and it allows horses to remain in loving, healthy homes and to avoid further interventions.

MSSPA Vice President and CEO Meris Bickford said the “Feed and Care Bank’ program support the organization’s ultimate vision of eliminating equine abuse and neglect.

“We are so moved by circumstances and the applicant’s stories are so compelling when you know they will need a bigger boost,” Bickford said. “The best thing about this assistance is that it prevents horses at risk from coming into the program.

The MSSPA was originally formed in 1872 to protect the horses who pulled Portland’s streetcars and fire engines. It now offers shelter services for equines across Maine with access to veterinary medical care and maintains dozens of equines at its South Windham facility.

Potential applicants for the “Feed and Care Bank’ program can either complete a short application form online or can call the MSSPA to give details by phone. MSSPA staff or volunteers then will visit with applicants, check references, and may conduct on-site visits, as needed.

Once a determination of eligibility has been made, assistance in the form of hay, grain, supplements, farrier services, dental services, and/or routine veterinary well care and vaccines may be provided for recipients.

To qualify, applicants must be Maine residents with horses stabled in Maine.

The MSSPA is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) and receives no federal, state or local funding, but rather is funded by a combination of donations, bequests, grants, and fundraising activities. It uses its resources to provide direct care to equines who have suffered abuse and promotes humane treatment, training, and the use of animals through education and hands-on experiences.

“It is very important for people who need the ‘Feed and Care Bank’ program to know that we’re not judging them, and we encourage them to apply if they need help,” Bickford said. “We want horses to stay out of the system.”

To apply for help from the ‘Feed and Care Bank’ program, visit msspa.org/hay or call 207-892-3040.

Anyone interested in supporti8ng the ‘Feed and Care Bank’; with a donation can do so by visiting msspa.org/give or by calling 207-892-3040. <