(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An anonymous donation of $120,000 will help a south suburban animal shelter greatly expand its services.
The money allowed the South Suburban Humane Society to buy the former-Homewood Animal Hospital at 183rd Street and Harwood Avenue and turn it into a second facility to take in, care for and adopt out abandoned and stray animals.
"It's a friend of the organization who knew how deeply we needed more space and how many more lives that we could save if we had additional space," said Emily Klemm, the chief executive officer of the South Suburban Humane Society.
Klemm said when the discussion turned to the former-Homewood Animal Hospital, the anonymous donor said he would buy the building for the humane society.
The donation moved her and her staff to tears, she said.
"We all cried a lot, and so now we can finally announce it and raise the renovation money we need," Klemm said.
Although the former-site of the Homewood Animal Hospital already has much of what the humane society needs to open a second facility, the building has been closed for years and needs about $100,000 worth of repairs and renovations to reopen, Klemm said.
The humane society is hoping to raise that money through additional donations.
Klemm estimates the second facility will help save at least an additional 800 stray and abandoned animals each year across the south suburbs.
Klemm says the second facility is set to open in April.