The animal shelter in Fort Benton has the same mission, but now features a slightly new name: the Dedman-Hokanson Animal Shelter.
The new name honors a generous donation from Arnold and Joy Hokanson, ranchers from The Bear Paws outside of Havre, who passed away in 2023.
Katie Flynn, shelter manager, noted, "We're a nonprofit, and so a lot of people have a misconception about nonprofits. They'll get a donor, they think we have tons of money, but you can't spend that money because this entity needs to go on into the future, and if you get into the principal then it goes away really quickly."
The shelter's small staff of three employees, along with dedicated volunteers, care for up to 30 cats and eight dogs at any given time.
The donation is a significant boost for the shelter, which struggles to generate enough revenue to cover its expenses, much less make improvements.
The contribution will help ensure the shelter's ongoing mission to care for animals in the community for years to come.
For more information, click here to visit their website.
