Contributed photo
Helen Widdecombe is a long-standing foster family for Halfway Home Pet Rescue. Helen, a youthful 85-year old volunteer, has a strong commitment to saving young orphaned kittens and working diligently to tame feral kittens who have a chance to be adopted into loving permanent homes. Helen is a feral colony feeder. She traps the adults for Halfway Home’s spay/neuter feral program that utilizes the T/N/R philosophy (trap/neuter/release) when a faithful caregiver, like Helen, is available for the duration of the adult spay/neutered colony. Helen advocates for each animal by faithfully praying over it before it’s scheduled surgery or when it moves onto a permanent home. Helen has an outstanding rate of success in rehabilitating feral kittens. Members of the Halfway Home Pet Rescue are so sorry to report the death of one beautiful Halfway Home volunteer, 93-yar-old Clarissa Bickford of Etna. Although ill for a long time, Clarissa continued to create lovely hand-knit items for the arts and craft booths of the Halfway Home Pet Rescue. Clarissa’s son and daughter-in-law, David & Ruby Bickford are the backbone of the Free Pet Food Pantry by providing free transport to and from Portland to receive items for the free pet food pantry. According to members of the Halfway Home Pet Rescue, cards with messages of comfort can be sent to Clarissa Bickford’s family via the Halfway Home at 773 S Shore Rd., Stockholm, ME 04783. From that address, cards will be forwarded to the Bickford family. The Halfway Home Pet Rescue volunteers urge individuals to please stop at 8 Pleasant St., in Caribou for their first Feline Adoption Fair as well as a large garage sale and returnable bottle drive. “Halfway Home Pet Rescue may be small in size, but we are strong in spirit and faithful to our animals,” said Halfway Home Pet Rescue President Normal Milton.
