FAQs

The Friends Helping Friends Foundation is a compassionate advocate for the Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control.

We are a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that works to enhance the care for homeless and displaced animals by building resources, leading development and advocating for the success of Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control. Some of our accomplishments to-date include: medical treatment for injured and/or abused animals rescued by the Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control, outdoor exercise runs with protective shading to enrich daily dog care; Kuranda towers enhancing the communal cat rooms and providing resources for feline activities, a ceiling-mounted surgical light for the spay/neuter surgery suite, otoscope and dental equipment, rabies and microchip clinics for the community, and educational and training events for the staff, volunteers and local pet owners,

We are led by a volunteer board of directors and a dedicated team of committee members and event volunteers, many of whom also volunteer their time at Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control.

Our guiding principles are to enhance animal care, enrich the lives of homeless and displaced animals at the shelter, and provide education and training opportunities for staff, volunteers and the community. The implementation of annual fundraising and community outreach helps us to support these goals.

We accomplish this by identifying gaps and additional needs at the Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control Center not covered by the City budget. This includes emergency veterinary care and testing which exceeds basic local and state requirements. Implementation of annual fundraising and community outreach helps us to support these goals.

We strive to educate the public about our organization, the role of the Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control in the community, and the importance of responsible pet ownership. Our long term goals include developing an endowment component as well as funding a part-time development position for our organization.

We welcome support and help from everyone.

Personal, estate and corporate donations are welcome and can be tailored to support specific programs, experiences, events or medical services. We also work hand-in-hand with various animal care and support groups throughout Iowa’s Creative Corridor. The easiest way to support the Friends Helping Friends Foundation is by showing up! We have a variety of events throughout the year helping to raise money and raise awareness for the care of animals at Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control.

Many of these events are great for you and your pet too, including microchip and vaccination clinics, open houses, and pet fairs at Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control.

We are always looking for volunteers and committee members.

To get involved, simply sign up and we’ll find an opportunity that works best for you.

Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control is the beneficiary of the Friends Helping Friends Foundation, but the organizations are separate entities.

The Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control is an 'open admission' shelter with a small staff and a corps of volunteers who help care for more than 3,000 animals per year. We accept all animals brought to us from the City of Cedar Rapids and Marion. We work collaboratively with foster and rescue teams to ensure that our animals are either reunited with their owners or are placed in new, loving homes.

Cedar Rapids Animal Control was founded in 1958. The first shelter opened in 1959 at the home of Charles A. Lockhart on Otis Road. The shelter was relocated in 1981 to an abandoned sewage treatment facility on Cedar Bend Lane, where it remained until late Spring of 2008 when the shelter was destroyed in the flood. Every animal was saved, and an emergency animal shelter was established at Kirkwood Community College until the temporary shelter was leased on North Towne Lane NE in November of 2008. A new Program Manager was hired in October 2009 to oversee shelter operations, animal control enforcement, and the new shelter building project.

More than 5 years after the 2008 flood destroyed the Animal Control shelter on Cedar Bend Lane, the Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control Center (CRACC) moved to a new facility on the Kirkwood College Campus. With just over 14,000 square feet, the new facility has 43 kennel runs, 124 cat cages and 3 communal cat rooms, and includes separation of space for quarantine holds, isolation, stray hold and adoption hold for both species. The building also has adequate drainage and ventilation systems to reduce the risk of disease, a fully equipped surgical suite, outdoor exercise runs for the dogs, and has a much more animal and public friendly environment.

The project was funded with $1M from FEMA and $3.55M of Local Option Sales Tax funds, and includes a 900 square foot Kirkwood training room.