At its annual volunteer recognition dinner held this evening, Nov. 9, the Humane Society of Knox County honored one of its unflagging supporters by renaming the nonprofit the Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County.

Lyman Pope, of the Lyman Pope Foundation, has been supportive of animal welfare New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, distributing funds to small shelters throughout the region. He has been directly involved with Thomaston shelter for more than a decade.

“Because of his tireless efforts and advocacy for shelter animals and his willingness to work with us so that we can achieve our vision of the future, we will now be known as the Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County," said Humane Society President Warner Vaughn.

The humane society was founded in 1989 by a few people with a vision. They saw a need — homeless and abandoned animals — and worked to fill it. More than years later, the organization’s early vision of giving shelter has grown into more than just an animal care facility. The Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County will always be about sheltering and finding forever homes for all the homeless animals that cross their door, whether they are cats, dogs, cockatoos or a pot-bellied pig. The Pope Memorial Humane Society is striving to become a vibrant resource center with exceptional leadership, volunteers, and facilities to serve the animals and people of the entire region, the organization said.