South Suburban Wiffle ball championship a homerun for animal shelter
MATTESON, Ill. (CBS) -- Happening this weekend in the suburbs: a chance to celebrate America's pastime – well, the plastic version.
The "World Wiffle Ball Championship" returns for its 43rd year.
Morning Insider Lauren Victory explains how the games are a "homerun" for a Matteson animal shelter.
The new forever home of the South Suburban Humane Society in Matteson has been open for about a month and word is getting out. The kennels filled up in two days, illustrating an on-going urgent need.
"So, last year, we had 4,200 intakes (animals coming to us) and that was more than we ever had since 2010," said Susanna Decker, director of development for SSHS.
Couple that intake increase with a decrease in adoptions and, suffice to say, things are getting tight.
"I really would like to dispel the myth that people adopted a pet during the pandemic and now all of a sudden they're back at work and can't keep their pet. That really is not what we're seeing that's happening," said Decker who believes it's actually inflation that's contributing to the intake uptick, especially owner surrenders.
"Living expenses continue to rise and I think that's why we continue to see this," she said.
So how can the World Wiffle Ball Championship in Midlothian make a difference? It's a fundraiser that can help pet owners afford medical procedures - costs that might've have caused them to give up their animal.
The surge in calls at the shelter is draining the Community Care Fund and other emergency assistance resources faster than ever before.
Plus, the entire new facility in Matteson, complete with a low-cost vet clinic, was funded with a lot of donations from animal lovers whose wallets might be exhausted at the moment.
"We continue to need dollars," said Decker who doesn't need to tell the Wiffle Ball players twice. They're trying to sell as many T-shirts as possible for a cause that hits close to home: one of the organizer shared his cat came from South Suburban Humane Society years ago.
The Wiiffle Ball World Championship usually brings in between $1,500 to $3,000 to the Shelter every year.
That may not sound like a lot but the average public donation is about $20 dollars and the entire $2 million dollar operation is privately funded.
