The Ponce Animal Foundation recently donated $10,000 to the Halifax Humane Society for a room where families from the domestic violence shelter can spend quality time with their pets.
Debbie Darino formed the nonprofit in January 2023, naming it after a Labrador retriever puppy who was beaten to death in 2017 in Ponce Inlet. Darino led demonstrations calling for the dog’s killer to be punished and also led the drive for the creation of Ponce’s Law.
“The foundation is still going strong,” she wrote.
The room funded by the Ponce Animal Foundation at the Halifax Humane Society is called the “Family Visitation Space.” The donation also paid for cabinetry in the room, Darino said.
Darino wrote the room allows families and their pets to have “quiet time together.”
Since its founding, the Ponce Animal Foundation has raised enough money to help pet owners with between $80,000 to $90,000 in veterinary bills, Darino wrote. She said her foundation mostly helps with dogs but also helps with some cats. She said another group, Concerned Citizens for Animal Welfare, does a lot of work with cats.
For information, visit theponceanimalfoundation.org
— Frank Fernandez covers courts and criminal justice in Volusia and Flagler counties for The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ponce Animal Foundation helps Halifax Humane Society with family room
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
