A little over two weeks has passed since Heaven Can Wait owner Kim Hessel put out an SOS on Facebook saying she'd have to close the shelter by December if she couldn't raise some money.

Well, the community stepped up to the tune of $102,296 on Go Fund Me, plus tens of thousands more in donations of cash, pet food and supplies.

Hessel says she doesn't want to have to go to this well again, and is instead trying to figure out a more reliable form of fundraising.

"There's a group of ladies in Okotoks that are trying to do just that. Organize something where we can do an annual, big fundraiser. I'm not sure what that's going to look like yet because it's really in the early stages, but things like that would be a smart thing to do for down the road and to keep some interest coming in."

Hessel says her biggest issue now is coming up with a plan for the money so they can stretch it as far as possible.

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