Flooded Bastrop animal shelter gets surprise relief from H-E-B
It was a normal Monday at the Bastrop County animal shelter until a large truck, emblazoned with the signature red, white and blue H-E-B logo, pulled up.
Last month, the shelter suffered $50,000 in damage after a water fountain burst overnight and flooded the facility with up to an inch of water across the floors and into kennel areas. It was poor timing, too, said Director of Animal Services Ashley Hermans, as the shelter was at capacity and heading into its busiest month. So far in July, the shelter has taken in more than 200 animals, including 30 the day after the Fourth of July.
On Monday, only one of 90 dog kennels was vacant, and five kittens were overflowing their 60-cat kennel capacity. But when the H-E-B truck pulled up by surprise, a little bit of relief washed over Hermans. The grocery store presented the shelter with 1,300 pounds of pet food, several pallets’ worth of cat litter and a $5,000 check.
“This is the best Monday I’ve ever had in my life,” Hermans said. “I had no idea this was coming in any way, shape or form.”
On the morning of June 9, the shelter’s then-animal services manager, Evan Jacobs, walked into the building to find the standing water, which forced the facility to close for two days. Staffers created a Facebook post alerting the public of the shelter’s predicament: It needed foster homes for displaced cats, food, blankets and cleaning supplies. It also had drywall and flooring that needed to be stripped and replaced.
The post was shared widely on social media and picked up by local media outlets. That’s when the H-E-B public affairs team caught wind of the need in Bastrop County and began hatching plans to surprise the facility. Based in San Antonio, the team “is always looking for opportunities to help communities,” said H-E-B Public Affairs Manager Tamra Jones.
The team reached out to Hermans to asses the shelter’s needs.
“I hadn’t actually even given them a specific amount, just