BANGOR, Maine — Editor’s note: The above video was aired on Jan. 17.
The #BettyWhiteChallenge took the internet by storm after the beloved actress's death. The nationwide fundraiser encouraged people to donate money to local or national animal shelters in White's honor.
Thanks to this challenge, the Bangor Humane Society raised more than $10,000.
Kathryn Ravenscraft, director of development at the shelter, said they take in roughly 2,000-3,000 animals every year. Any funds donated to the organization are typically used for daily care, litter, food, and toys for the animals.
Ravenscraft said the shelter has a 97% "live release rate," meaning that percentage of their animals get adopted to their "fur-ever" homes every year.
The shelter posted about the challenge around 6:30 a.m. Monday.
"By 7:30, we had surpassed my initial goal. I was thinking if we could make $800, that would be great, and within an hour, we had already exceeded that goal, so from there, it was just really exciting," Ravenscraft said.
The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, located in Westbrook, raised more than $11,000 thanks to the challenge.