"I would love for us to go out of business because no one needed our help. That would be a lovely day."
That's Suzan Prendergast, Executive Director of the Bangor Humane Society, after eighteen years leading the shelter that serves thirty-five Penobscot Valley towns — and it tells you everything about how she sees the work.
In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Suzan for one of the most honest conversations you'll hear about what really happens inside an animal shelter. Before BHS, Suzan spent years with the Red Cross in disaster relief and emergency response — training that shows up in shelter leadership more than you'd ever guess. She talks about her son growing up in the kennel halls, what "no-kill" actually means and doesn't mean, the post-COVID surge that filled all forty-two kennels, and why a shelter that is roughly eighty percent donor funded depends on its community every single day.
In this conversation:
- The Red Cross years — and how disaster response training built a shelter leader
- The honest truth about no-kill, straight from the person who lives it
- What the post-COVID surge did to shelters across Maine
- Forty-two kennels, thirty-five towns, one small team
- The Partners for Peace partnership and the work most people never see
- Paws on Parade and how Greater Bangor can actually help
- Why the toy bin matters more than you think
- The answer that gave this episode its title
How to help the Bangor Humane Society:
Adopt, volunteer, donate, or join them at Paws on Parade. Details at the website below.
LINKS
Bangor Humane Society: https://www.bangorhumane.org
Read the companion Insight — "I'd Love to Go Out of Business": https://mainethriveinsights.com/suzan-prendergast
Suzan's Community Profile on Penobscot Valley Thrive: https://penobscotvalleythrive.com/detail-page/bangor-humane-society
Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions, LLC in Bangor, Maine. Learn more at smithdigitalsolutions.com.
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