Newlyweds Skip Traditional Wedding Gifts & Ask For Shelter Donations Instead

Written by: Adri Sandoval
Adri Sandoval is the Special Projects Manager for iHeartDogs and iHeartCats. Her work has deepened her love for animals, fostering a strong passion for rescue and animal advocacy.Read more
| Published on October 17, 2019

Two animal loving newlyweds recently tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in Ohio. While most couples opt for traditional wedding gifts, these two had a very different idea up their sleeve.

Jonathan and Jeananne Wickham are heavily involved in animal welfare, and have adopted each of their cats from local shelters. Over the years they have seen the great need that shelters have for supplies, and knew they wanted to help out in a big way. After doing research on shelters in the area, they decided which facility could benefit the most from a massive donation.

wedding shelter donation

When guests received their wedding registry, the list was filled with unexpected items. Where you would usually see a variety of home supplies, was the substitution of supplies meant for the furry friends at the Wayne County Humane Society.  

Their registry consisted of dog food, cat food, kitty litter, treats, and an array of cleaning supplies. In addition to the pet items that you could purchase, was the option of a cash donation that would also go directly to the shelter.

Once their wedding day came, they were amazed by the massive stock of donations that they received. In addition to the gifts that were brought to the wedding, was the additional $2,000 in cash that wedding guests donated to their efforts.

Luckily, the cash donation came just in time for two injured cats. One cat had a severely broken leg, and the other had a serious eye infection. Without the funds to perform their necessary procedures, they may not have survived.

wedding shelter donation

“The funds they raised already helped provide life-saving medical care for two of our kitties. We are so grateful for this amazing display of kindness and can’t thank them enough.” – Wayne Humane Society

The incredible stock of supplies will be able to save the shelter thousands of dollars in food purchases that they will be able to put to good use. Some staff members even mentioned how they had never seen the shelves stocked to this abundance before!

wedding shelter donation

“Truly, there was nothing in our lives that we needed to have a registry so we could get this or get that. We could get those things for ourselves, but this we couldn’t do by ourselves.” – Jeannane Wickham

We are truly amazed by the selflessness that this amazing couple showed to the animals of the Wayne County Humane Society. We can only hope that more couples will follow in their generous footsteps!

H/T: http://10tv.com

Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/WayneCountyHumaneSociety/