Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, Inc.
A Boutique No-kill Shelter With Happy Cats And Happy Endings
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Montgomery County, Maryland has a large number of homeless cats and kittens, many of which will end up in overcrowded shelters only to be euthanized. Costs of spay/neutering of animals in Montgomery County are out of reach for many economically disadvantaged county residents leading to an increase in the number of county animals being relinquished to shelters with each new preventable litter. Costs of pet food can be too high for economically disadvantaged people, causing some to relinquish their companion animals to shelters while some people, especially seniors, have at times chosen to forgo purchasing food or medicine for themselves in order to feed their companion animals.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Shelter and Foster Care
Up to 20 cats are housed in our Shelter. Additional cats and kittens are in volunteer foster care homes.
Spay/Neuter Program
Provide $150 spay/neuter certificates to economically disadvantaged Montgomery County residents, in partnership with participating veterinary hospitals and the Montgomery County Humane Society.
Chompers Pet Food Assistance Program
Help families affected by the current economic climate keep their pets fed so they don't have to consider surrendering their companion animal to local shelters.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total pounds of pet food and litter distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Chompers Pet Food Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These numbers refer to pet food distributed only. We do not distribute litter.
Number of animals receiving subsidized or free spay/neuter services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Spay/Neuter Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This number is from the spay/neuter program only. It does not reflect procedures done on the shelter animals. All shelter animals must be spayed/neutered prior to adoption.
Number of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Shelter and Foster Care
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The shelter was closed for adoptions in part of 2020 due to Covid.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1 To find homes for adoptable Montgomery County, Maryland homeless cats and kittens that would otherwise fill county shelters and be subject to possible euthanasia.
2. To provide services, enrichment and socialization as needed to our shelter cats and kittens to enhance their adoptability.
3. To decrease the overall population of shelter relinquished cats and kittens in our county.
4. To decrease the likelihood that an economically disadvantaged person in our county would not have to relinquish their companion pet to a shelter due to inability to afford pet food.
5. To decrease the likelihood that an economically disadvantaged person in our county would forgo food or medicine in order to feed their pet.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. AWLMC picks up cats and kittens that are deemed adoptable (non-feral strays and abandoned animals) from high-kill shelters. All cats and kittens are treated by certified veterinarians, given all appropriate shots for their ages, treated for endemic parasites and other common ailments, spayed or neutered and microchipped prior to adoption. Short term fostering by volunteers allows a thorough evaluation of each animal and advances the animals ability to live with other animals so that they are more adoptable when shown in our unique free-range shelter. Potential adopters are vetted carefully so that cats and kittens successfully remain in their new homes, are well treated and are rarely returned to the shelter.
2. AWLMC is constantly recruiting and training new volunteers to replace the number of people who retire from fostering and/or work at the Shelter or behind the scenes.
3. AWLMC provides spay/neuter certificates to economically disadvantaged people in our county with dogs or cats.
4. AWLMC runs CHOMPERS pet food bank which provides pet food to economically disadvantaged people in our county so they can keep their pets rather than having to relinquish them to a shelter.
5. AWLMC runs CHOMPERS pet food bank which provides pet food to economically disadvantaged people in our county so they don't have to decide between taking care of themselves or their pets.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
1. AWLMC maintains a strictly no-kill cat and kitten shelter in a house where 20 animals at a time are given free-range in five large, airy rooms.
2.AWLMC is an all volunteer organization with approximately 150 members working in teams to provide fostering support as well as adoption counseling, cat and kitten enrichment and socialization support, health checks, intake selection, outreach work, spay/neuter vouchers and pet food.
3. AWLMC contracts with county veterinarians who provide low cost spay/neuter and other medical services to enhance the adoptability of AWLMC feline residents.
4. AWLMC provides economically disadvantaged county residents spay/neuter vouchers which can be taken to any one of our contracted veterinarians for dog or cat spay/neuter services.
5. AWLMC accepts donations of pet food to the self-sustaining CHOMPERS Pet Food Bank which offers economically disadvantaged county residents access to wet and dry pet food for their dogs and cats.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
1. AWLMC has been able to take in and have approximately 175 cats and kittens adopted yearly reaching a cumulative total of adoptions of approximately 3000 cats since its launching.
2. AWLMC has attracted approximately 150 exceptionally dedicated volunteers that allow us to continue running our programs.
3. AWLMC awarded economically disadvantaged people approximately 229 Spay/Neuter certificates last year.
4. AWLMC via our CHOMPERS Pet Food Bank gave economically disadvantaged people 9550 pounds of food for their pets last year.
5. AWLMC is working to increase the geographic area from which it takes in cats and kittens.
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How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 08/04/2022
Ms. Christy Perando
Jacquie Wagner
Allison Phillips
Christy Perando
Cheryl Afflerbach
Ann Leger
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data