MCHS volunteer Nini Johnson, left, speaks with residents about the humane society's design plans for a new 9,000 square foot shelter. MCHS hopes to raise $200,000 from the community to start construction on the shelter soon. Photo by Trey Mewes/trey.mewes@austindailyherald.com.

The Mower County Humane Society once again had a successful pasta dinner fundraiser Sunday, with more than 200 people showing up within the first hour. Though the fundraising figures aren’t completely done, the event is usually the second-largest fundraiser of the year and MCHS volunteers say they raised about $6,500, about the same as last year.

Residents gave to a proposed 9,000-square-foot new shelter as well. The shelter’s design plans were publicly revealed Sunday, showcasing things like covered dog runs, dog kennels grouped in “pods,” visitation rooms and more.

“It’s going to be so much nicer,” said MCHS volunteer Nini Johnson. Johnson saw many people donated to the humane society at the fundraiser.

“I have not enough words to say how generous people are,” she said. “They keep coming back year after year.”

Dawn Stern was one of those people. Her family has adopted three cats from MCHS, and she made some of the MCHS’s silent auction goods this year. She and her family are looking forward to a new humane society shelter to alleviate some of the shelter’s cleaning and crowding problems.

“They are very overcrowded where they are now,” Stern said.

Though the new shelter will house about the same amount of animals as the current one — About 100 cats and 25 dogs — the new shelter will have better ventilation, heating and room organization which will help volunteers keep things clean.

MCHS volunteers hope to build the metal-exterior shelter for about $600,000 once they have raised all funds and decided on a plot of land. The humane society currently has about $400,000 raised and a donated plot of land south of Austin on Highway 218. In addition, MCHS volunteers may work with the city of Austin to share land with a new city shelter, though the facilities would remain separate.

Still, volunteers hope to raise the remaining $200,000 in a public campaign, which they kicked off earlier this year.

“We’ve been getting some pretty good publicity,” MCHS vice president Jane Roden said. “Maybe the more people hear about it, the more they will want to donate.”