History
The organization was established as a 501(c)3 charity in 1979 and the cat sanctuary opened on May 19, 1990. Essie Dabrusin, who is now deceased, and Ruth Valenti who still lives in the Newburgh area, were two retired ladies who got their start feeding strays dogs on the streets of the City of Newburgh in the 1970's. In 1990, they opened the shelter. At that time, the sanctuary had a population of about 400 cats. Today, however, we have between 140-160 cats at our shelter. We have had to scale down our operation due to the significant cost associated with maintaining a healthy cat population.
Specialties
Mid Hudson Animal Aid, located at 54 Simmons Lane in Beacon, is a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping abandoned and abused animals throughout the Hudson Valley of New York State. The Essie Dabrusin Cat Sanctuary, a free range, no-kill home to hundreds of cats and kittens pending adoption is run by Mid Hudson Animal Aid. First, we are a