Vicksburg resident Karen Kirk said her late mother, Barbara Crow Whiteman, loved animals. So when Whiteman passed away in mid-2024, it made perfect sense that a trust established in her name would dole out funds for organizations that help animals.

To help further the cause she and her mother have supported for years, Kirk on Monday presented a check for $10,000 from the Barbara Crow Whiteman Trust to the Friends of the City of Vicksburg Animal Shelter. The City of Vicksburg will hold a grand opening for its new animal shelter facility Dec. 12.

“We grew up with cats and dogs, and snakes and some white mice,” Kirk said. “My mom, especially, was an animal lover. She was very specific that, when she passed away, she wanted to leave a portion of her estate to animal welfare. I couldn’t think of a better use for the portion I’ve been tasked with than the Friends of the Shelter.”

Kirk said she is also happy the donation will come at a time when the shelter is moving into a new building and can use the funds in ways it may not have been able to in the past.

“We all know what the shelter has been dealing with,” Kirk said in reference to the outdated current building that will be replaced later this month. “Kaci (Lindsey, shelter director,) has been doing a phenomenal job with what she’s got, but she can’t do with it what is there now.”

Missy Arnold, president of the Friends of the City of Vicksburg Animal Shelter, said Kirk’s donation is the largest single monetary gift the organization has ever received.

In May, the Friends donated $50,0000 to the shelter, with the funds earmarked for purchasing cages for cats, and Arnold said those funds came from a combination of donors and other fundraising efforts.

Kirk said Monday that her donation is meant to be used however the shelter personnel see fit.