Woman Donates Tax Refund to Humane Society: 'Bought Everything'

Instead of spending her tax refund on herself, a woman surprised the Humane Society of Central Oregon by purchasing everything off the shelter's wish list and then some.

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When Monica's tax refund came into her possession, she knew exactly where she wanted to spend it—the humane society where she and her parents are supporters. Lynne Ouchida, the director of community partnerships, told Newsweek via email that Monica loves to shop and asked for the humane society's top wish list items.

With the money, she "bought everything" on their wish list. She purchased a case of puppy biscuits, cheese nips, five 20-pound bags of cat litter, nine Temptations cat treats packages, and 14 cans of Easy Cheese used to distract the animals during intake, exams, and medicating. Ouchida estimates her purchases to equal $205.

But Monica's generosity didn't stop there. She donated $800 from her tax refund on top of the items she bought, which was matched by her parents.

The Humane Society of Central Oregon couldn't contain their excitement with the thoughtful gifts, sharing the inspiring story in an April 30 Facebook post on their page.

"When she arrived, we could not believe her generosity. She inspired us all," Ouchida said. "We thought it was a heartfelt and generous way to help the animals in our care."

The Humane Society of Central Oregon sees around 3,000 animals every year and like most animal shelters around the country, there is an increase in demand for their services. Plus, with the rise in the cost of goods and economic pressures on people, in-kind donations have decreased for the past few years, Ouchida said.

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Monica's parents committed to matching her cash donation. In total, the shelter received $1,600 from the family to purchase in bulk at discounted prices or for whatever else the shelter might need.

"In my nearly 30 years, I do not recall anyone sharing their tax refund money to help our shelter animals," said Ouchida. "Similarly, we are always touched when youth have their guests bring birthday gifts for the animals and not themselves, and during the pandemic, we received several stimulus check money and in-kind donations."

Monica and her family's generous donations touched those in the community. Ouchida shared that others have told her they will remember this act of kindness for next year's tax refund.

'Incredibly generous'

Facebook users were touched by her thoughtful gesture. The post sharing Monica's story had 312 likes and 32 comments as of Wednesday.

"So awesome of her to do this. Love it!!" said a Facebook user.

Someone else added: "That's incredibly generous. There will be some happy fur babies at the shelter."

A third person commented: "This warmed my heart! You are a good person Monica."

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