09/17/2026
What’s FORAS’s Mission? What does FORAS do? Why do we do it? Here’s the info about us:
FORAS Mission: To help the animals at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter by fundraising and allocating money and resources to keep the shelter no-kill, and give every animal, young and old, the opportunity for a safe and healthy life. Through efforts in advocacy, education and community involvement we strive to inspire an environment where the animal-human bond is celebrated, respected and nurtured.
About Our Organization:
Friends of Oak Ridge Animal Shelter (FORAS) is a 501c3 nonprofit, founded in 2015, and is a fundraising organization, supporting the animals at the Oak Ridge, TN Animal Shelter. FORAS’s Board of Directors are all unpaid volunteers. FORAS pays for veterinary medical care, behavior training, supplies, or other needs that directly support the cats and dogs housed at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter, which are not included in the City of Oak Ridge’s supporting budget, or who are in FORAS’s Senior Program. FORAS does not take ownership of animals, but does pay foster expenses when needed.
As part of their contract, the city-employed shelter staff veterinarian performs spay/neuter surgery, basic wound care, and provides medication as part of their job requirements, but is limited by job description, shelter clinic facility equipment, and city budget allocation as to the medical care they can provide in the shelter. The shelter budget also does not include behavioral training for the animals. FORAS pays all board-approved outside veterinary, training and other expenses not covered by the City of Oak Ridge’s shelter budget to rehabilitate the animals, restore their health, and make them available for adoption.
Prior to FORAS’s establishment, the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter was a high-kill shelter that euthanized for space, behavior, or injury/illness because they did not have the funds or the resources available. Through the efforts of FORAS and their Board of Directors, FORAS funded medical needs for 152 shelter animals during 2024. They also paid for behavioral training, foster home costs, and other expenses.
Funding is acquired through community donations, fundraising events, and online auctions of donated goods. FORAS raised $88,882 in 2024 and spent $73,168 helping shelter animals. Less than 1% of our income is spent on administration costs.
In June of 2022 FORAS initiated the Senior Animal Adoption Opportunity Program, which promotes adoption for shelter animals 10 years or older. Because some people are hesitant to adopt senior animals due to anticipated higher medical costs, FORAS funds their medical needs, outside of preventive care, after their adoption for the duration of their life.
FORAS’s funding, in concert with a robust shelter volunteer team that socializes animals and transports them to no-kill humane societies in the other states and local adoption events, keeps the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter a no-kill shelter.
