As its new shelter building rises on State Road 135 South, the Brown County Humane Society is getting some help to make it a home for homeless animals.

About 250 people came together on a warm Saturday, Aug. 29 to cruise in their Jeeps, play poker and raise money for the humane society.

Last year — its first year — the Brown County Jeep Poker Run raised money for the Kids On Wheels skate park project, which was built at Deer Run Park last fall. This year, the group chose the Brown County Humane Society as the recipient of its generosity.

The 2020 event raised $6,730 toward the humane society’s Let’s Make It a Home campaign to purchase equipment for the new shelter, said Megan Gushwa, community relations manager for the humane society.

The 112 Jeeps, which made up about a 3-mile-long train, also hauled in more than 800 pounds of pet food for shelter animals, Gushwa said.

Patty Frensemeier, one of the organizers, said they had to cap attendance about three weeks before the event to keep the gathering size within limits, so it could have been even bigger.

“The weather was great, the people were generous and we couldn’t have enjoyed the experience more,” humane society President Sue Ann Werling wrote in a thank-you letter. Read the whole thing in this week’s Opinions section.

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