NJ animal sanctuary hopes to grow mission beyond its 21 acres

FRANKLIN (Gloucester) — For the last 18 years, Oasis Animal Sanctuary has been in the business of both rescuing small, companion animals like dogs and cats, and also taking in livestock.

Four years ago, the organization secured 21 acres of farmland, and while that amount of space had long been desired, it has presented some challenges.

Pam Brighton, who began the operation in 2001 out of her and her two co-founders' houses, said the sanctuary can only keep dogs on certain parts of the property, but they currently also have cats, ducks, donkeys, a turkey, and horses.

"The horse situation is pretty dreadful out there at times, and so we rescue as many as we can," she said. "We do not overstep our financial boundaries."

Those boundaries can be quite restrictive for a nonprofit, Brighton said.

"We are totally publicly supported. We get no guaranteed funds from anywhere. We do, however, apply for grants for our low-cost spay/neuter program," she said, noting that that endeavor in particular has resulted in the sterilization of some 6,700 animals over Oasis' history, doing well to help control the animal population in South Jersey.

Oasis has recently been facing a very specific crisis, though, that jeopardizes how it serves the community on a day-to-day basis. The farm's old well collapsed, sucking sand into the water supply, and so now a new well is needed, along with water testing and a filtration system.

That's where Brighton hopes the surrounding community will pitch in and accelerate the donations that have, to this point, kept the group alive for close to two decades. Mail, telephone, PayPal, GoFundMe, or an in-person visit — she said all are acceptable, especially for something so obviously vital as providing fresh and clean water for animals.

To find out more, visit oasisanimalsanctuary.org.

Patrick Lavery is Senior Producer of Morning News and Special Programming for New Jersey 101.5, and is lead reporter and substitute anchor for "New Jersey's First News." Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.

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