Riley County Humane Society

The Riley County Humane Society, formed in January 1975, is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of animals. Although we do not operate the local city animal shelter, we do work closely with area shelters to promote adoptions. In addition, we have our own animals available for adoption that are cared for by volunteer foster parents. RCHS is supported by public donations and is very modest in membership dues. We serve the Manhattan community, including surrounding counties, by providing a variety of programs. These include educational programs benefiting elementary schools, informational booths and displays at special community events, animal cruelty investigations, spay/neuter/release for feral cats, participation in fairs and events sponsored by national animal welfare organizations to promote responsible pet ownership, and our fostering program. Several fund-raisers are conducted throughout the year as well to benefit homeless animals in the community.

How we got started...
Glenda Heldenbrand, an employee of radio station KMAN, was the hostess of an open line program. People called her to give their opinions about various subjects. She noticed that many of the calls were related to the treatment of animals. In January, 1975, Glenda began to form the Riley County Humane Society. She met with lawyers to develop by-laws and on March 5, 1975, the RCHS was recognized by the state of Kansas as a non-profit organization. The Riley County Humane Society does not operate the local animal shelter, but does work closely with several local shelters in order to promote the adoption of animals. RCHS is supported by public donations and is very modest in membership dues. It is staffed solely by volunteers, who serve the welfare of animals through a variety of programs you can view on our home page.

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