CHARITON, Iowa — Almost Home Animal Rescue in Chariton is dedicated to finding forever homes for homeless animals, following the closure of a previous shelter that served the community for 30 years.

The shelter, which serves Lucas and Wayne counties, was opened through a community-led effort that involved fundraising and remodeling the building. Since its reopening 11 months ago, Almost Home Animal Rescue has successfully facilitated 92 adoptions.

“After the previous shelter closed, a group of us got together, did funding, did fundraising, remodeled a bunch of the building and kinda just worked to get it open,” said Jena Wiley, Board President of Almost Home Animal Rescue.

The shelter relies heavily on donations to cover day-to-day costs and operates a pet food pantry to support pet owners in need. Additionally, Almost Home offers free vaccine clinics throughout the year to ensure the health and well-being of the animals.

Recently, Almost Home Animal Rescue initiated a program where every Friday, an adoptable dog is taken to Homestead of Chariton Memory Care, allowing residents to spend the day with the animal. This initiative aims to provide companionship and joy to the residents.

For those interested in learning more about Almost Home’s mission or supporting their cause, more information can be found at almosthomear.com.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WHO 13 News. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WHO 13 News staff before being published.