EAST AURORA, N.Y. — Hawk Creek Wildlife Center in East Aurora rehabilitates and houses animals in Western New York.
"If you have a hawk in your backyard that's injured, or you see an owl that's on the side of the road, we will take care of that for you and hopefully release them into the wild," Conservation and Public Relations Director Tiffany Cimino said.
The non-profit's leaders were speechless when they found out their largest food supplier was no longer going to donate.
"For over 30 years we were receiving a donation of whole prey like rats and mice, and this past December our supplier told us they will no longer be donating that kind of donation anymore," Cimino said.
That supplier used to donate $65,000 worth of mice and rats a year. Without it, the non-profit faces major financial problems, as many of their animals eat whole prey.
"Being a non profit organization," Camino said, "we have to scramble to find the money to kind of feed our animals now."
It costs $250 a day to feed the 100 animals that live there, not including the hundreds of animals that are there for rehabilitation.
Camino told 2 On Your side that this set back may have a lasting impact. It could halt construction projects including the development of a new nature trail. It could also lead to the reduction of educational programs for the public.
The non-profit is sending out letters to the community asking for support.
"You could donate meat that you have in your freezer" Camino said. "You could go to our Facebook page or our website and just donate directly to our food fund."
If you would like to donate or get more information you can visit their Facebook Page.