Making Change
Caring for our community
Friends of Homeless Animals
A home for every cat and dog
Laura Eddy on FOHA’s mission
On 40 acres of wooded land in Aldie, Virginia, Friends of Homeless Animals makes a home for every dog and cat that comes through its doors.
“Our mission is ‘home with us until they’re home with you’ and we really believe in that,” said Laura Eddy, Operations Manager. The no-kill shelter, called FOHA for short, makes a lifetime commitment to every animal they take in.
When one MainStreet Bank employee heard about MainStreet Bank’s Making Change employee giving program, he knew he wanted to support an animal rescue. He went looking for a local shelter to give his donation to and found FOHA.
“It’s an incredible place,” he said. He first donated to FOHA in 2023, and was joined by a group of colleagues for the next two years. Together, they’ve donated over $23,000.
Thanks to him, FOHA also came to the attention of the MainStreet Bank volunteering committee, which has now organized employee volunteer days at the shelter for three years and counting.
Above: MainStreet Bank employees volunteer at FOHA
FOHA was founded in 1973 by local judge Anne Lewis. She rescued a stray dog and litter of puppies she found on her property, but was devastated when they were euthanized by the organization that took them in.
“She said ‘never again should an animal be euthanized due to space’ and created Friends of Homeless Animals,” said Laura. Since then they’ve rescued over 17,000 animals.
The shelter usually has around 65 dogs and 10-20 cats at a time. Cats live in communal “catteries” set up to feel like the living room of a house with a screened-in porch. While some dogs live in kennels, long-term residents live in volunteer-decorated dog houses with heating, air-conditioning, a front porch, and a backyard.
FOHA takes in animals facing a number of challenges, including heartworm and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, and they have many senior animals. Thanks to a grant from the Grey Muzzle Organization, they can waive the adoption fee for eligible senior pets and offer adopters a $1,500 reimbursement for medical expenses.
“Everything we do here is through donations,” Laura said. “Any support we get helps us continue to save more animals.”
To learn more about Friends of Homeless Animals visit foha.org
