Animal Charity to gain space in March move to Boardman

By Denise Dick

BOARDMAN — Beginning late next month, Animal Charity will have a new home.

The agency will move from its South Avenue, Youngstown, location to 4140 Market St., Boardman.

“We’re hoping to have a new location celebration March 24 with building tours, adoptions, educations, service and product giveaways and food,” said Nikole Baringer, chief executive officer. “Then we will open up for regular business at the new location on March 29.”

The move is due mostly to space, she said.

“We’ve outgrown this building, and this building is quite old,” Baringer said.

Animal Charity has been operating out of its South Avenue location for about 30 years. It was established in 1962, founded by Jean McClure-Kelty and her husband, Perc.

Jean McClure-Kelty died in 2003, but Perc Kelty remains active with the organization, serving as chairman of the agency’s board.

“I think it’s a new beginning,” Kelty said of the new site. “It’s a better location with a lot less crime, I hope.”

The agency began saving money to finance a move. It looked for a new location and found the Market Street space.

“It provides more space and a much better layout to conduct business,” the CEO said.

Animal Charity has multiple divisions.

Services offered include a low-cost veterinary clinic with a full-time veterinarian, a humane department that conducts animal-cruelty investigations, an education department that visits schools, preschools and citizens groups to talk about the responsibilities of pet ownership and the importance of spaying and neutering.

Baringer said the agency’s humane and education departments are embarking on a new program to provide education about pit-bull fighting in an effort to stop it.

Current quarters consist of an old gas station connected to an old house by a ramp, Baringer said.

“The layout is like a big maze, and there’s a lot of unusable space,” she said. “In the new building, it flows much better.”

The larger space will provide better access to the various services, as well as more easily separating animals brought in from humane investigations from clients’ pets who come in for vet care.

The new location provides more open, usable space including a three-car heated garage. That area will be used for new dog kennels.

The agency has between 15 and 20 dog kennels, relying on temporary crates to house additional animals.

“Home Depot has been fantastic with giving us discounts,” Baringer said.

Animal Charity is buying the material to make custom-built dog pens. The CEO believes that will enable the agency to house more dogs.

While the location will change, the mission and those served will not.

“We’ll still serve the entire county,” Baringer said. “None of our duties or who we serve will change. We’re just changing locations, and we’re excited to be a part of Boardman.”

denise_dick@vindy.com