Emily Burgess - Animal Operations Manager
Renea Brown - FOSS Services Manager
Tonya Palmer - Kennel Assistant
Crystal Finney - Kennel Assistant
Erika Podhajser - Kennel Assistant
FOSS Board Members
Lorrie Van Hoy Bennett
Katie Sands Winfrey
Cindy Taylor - Human-Animal Relations Coordinator
A Better Future for Homeless Pets of Stokes County is OUR Mission.
The Friends of the Stokes Shelter Inc. (FOSS) operates a no-kill Animal Adoption Center in the middle of Stokes County, NC at 1111 Dodgetown Road in the Meadows community between Walnut Cove & Danbury. The physical & mailing address is 1111 Dodgetown Road, Walnut Cove, NC 27052.
The goal is to provide a “fur-ever” home for homeless pets and relieve overcrowding at the Stokes County Animal Control shelter, thereby reducing euthanizations due to space.
The 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization completed the building in the Meadows community through private donations. They raised $450,000 over six years from people in the community. FOSS receives no local or other government funding. FOSS is a separate entity from the SCAC shelter on Sizemore Road. We rely 100% on private donations to operate.
“It will help the animal control officers to do their job at the shelter, while we take care of adopting animals,” said Dr. Deborah Cowan, former Chairperson for The Friends of the Stokes Shelter. “We were having a real problem with a lot of euthanizations because we just didn’t have the money or the people to be able to adopt them out.”
Friends of the Stokes Shelter Inc. opened the FOSS Animal Adoption Center on February 29, 2020. As of 2/22/25, FOSS has saved 1,634 animals in Stokes County. With your support, we will continue to save many more!
Leslie Staples- Chair
Mike Barsness - Vice Chair/General Manager
Leslie Staples - Treasurer
Tanya Gardner - Secretary
Fran Hollis - Facilities Chair
Kate Waterman - Fundraising Chair
Aaron Sisco
Cindy Holby - Marketing Chair
Sherry Smith
Dr. Debbie Cowan
Lee Winfrey
Dr. Michelle Aldriege - Vet of Record
FoSS Volunteer coordinators
FOSS Staff
ABOUT THe friends of the stokes shelter inC. (FOSS)
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