Our Mission: “Provide for and continuously improve the health, happiness and fortunes

of the homeless and abandoned cats and dogs in Monroe County”

The Monroe County Friends of Animals (MCFA)  is a not-for-profit volunteer organization with 501(c) (3) status located in Monroe County, Tennessee.  Our organization was created in 2004 by concerned citizens who recognized a dire need throughout the county for animal welfare.  At that time there was no animal shelter, no place to go to adopt, no place to surrender animals that could no longer be cared for, and stray and abandoned animals loose everywhere in the community.   

Partnering with the county, together we opened the Monroe County Animal Shelter, located at 170 Kefauver Lane, Madisonville, TN (MAP).  The county leased the site from a retired veterinarian and with a lot of volunteer help, converted it into the shelter that we continue to use today. Since its formation, MCFA has supported the Monroe County Animal Shelter monetarily with the costs of operation shared.   The cost of animal food, medicine, and medical treatment is borne by MCFA.  The cost of staff salaries, rent and utilities is borne by the county.  

More than 25,000 animals have been adopted from the shelter or rescued since we started in 2004. Through the years, with grants and the labor of our volunteers, we’ve been able to make significant enhancements to the shelter, but our ultimate goal is to build a new shelter. 

Volunteers are truly the backbone of our organization   One of the most important roles we serve is coordinating the many volunteer-staffed programs — all of which are critical to helping us care for the animals at the shelter and finding them new homes. These volunteer initiatives include:

  • Hands-on animal care, socialization and training at the shelter
  • Fostering/providing temporary homes for dogs and cats from the shelter
  • Providing spay and neuter vouchers to local low-income pet owners (through our Spay Neuter Assistance Program [SNAP]), enabling them to have the surgeries done.
  • Transporting animals to shelters and pet rescues in many different states  where there is greater demand and they are quickly adopted.
  • Providing special care for elderly or disabled pets through our Second Chance Pals program.  Over 200 of these animals have been saved to date.
  • Providing pet food for families of limited means through our Food Pantry program.

Board Member Profiles:

Sabrina Huffstetler

Sabrina Huffstetler is a native of Maryville, TN, and currently resides in Maryville. Sabrina started volunteering and fostering for the Monroe County Animal Shelter in the later Summer of 2022, where she quickly saw the need for help with the homeless pet population within the community. Sabrina is the mother of three children Cortney, Orion, and Cole and all three share her love of animals. Sabrina has a Master of Science in Nursing and currently works as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and spends a lot of time serving the Monroe County Community. She has fostered and helped place many cats and dogs into the homes of loving families. 

Sabrina Huffstetler is a native of and currently resides in Maryville, TN. Sabrina spends a lot of her spare time giving back to her community and surrounding communities in East Tennessee. Volunteering at numerous nonprofit organizations within surrounding communities over the past few decades has been a priority and especially working with organizations that help animals. Sabrina is an approved Foster Mom with Monroe County Animal Shelter, Campbell County Animal Shelter, Tennessee Tails Rescue, and was most recently approved to foster with the Australian Cattle Dog Rescue Association (ACDRA). Her family includes 3 wonderful children and two beautiful grandchildren.

Sabrina has been a Registered Nurse for 28 years, and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 11 years. A goal throughout her career is to give people tools on how to help themselves through education, and this can help anyone at any point in their lives, this may mean how to take care of themselves or simply how to care for their pets, and help control population by educating the community on of the importance of spaying and neutering all pets. Sabrina has fostered 37 dogs and 34 cats within the last four years.

Cheryl Ulmer
Vice President (Vonore)

Cheryl is a lifelong animal advocate, with over 25 years’ experience volunteering in non-profit dog and cat rescue.   Her experience ranges from cleaning cages at rescue centers, providing adoption counseling, raising funds through off site events to serving as Board President.  Cheryl spearheaded a major effort as Board President with the completion of a plan which laid the groundwork for a capital campaign to build an $8 million center.  

Glenn Edwards
Treasurer (Sweetwater)

Glenn has been volunteering at the MCFA Thrift Store for about 5 years now. “By helping out at the store, I can help with the objective of making money to support the shelter operations,” Glenn said.

Glenn currently serves MCFA as treasurer. Before retiring, Glenn worked as manager in cost and financial planning at Robbins & Myers C. from 1977-2006; in customer service and accounting at Standard Register Co. from 1972-77; and in the United States Air Force from 1969-1972. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in accounting from Miami University (Oxford, OH).

Glenn has a lifelong history of serving others, which includes serving:

  • 5-plus years as an advisor for Junior Achievement with an inner-city school in Dayton, Ohio and the Springfield City High School
  • 12 years as a Big Brother/Big Sister volunteer and being named Big Brother of the Year
  • 2 years as a board member for Sweetwater Main Street, serving as secretary
  • 10 years on Sweetwater Valley Citizens for the Arts board, serving 2 years as treasurer and now as president.
  • 3 years on the MCFA board, serving as treasurer.

When asked why he donates his time to the MCFA, Glenn said, “We lost our schnauzer almost 2 years ago. After having her, I realize just how dependent dogs and cats are on us.  I can’t imagine any animal having to spend time in a scary place like a shelter and not having a home to go to.  So, I feel in a way, I am helping provide for them while they wait for their forever home.

Deborah Smith
Secretary (Vonore)

Born and raised on Long Island, NY Deborah went to college in MO and had a 30 year career in middle management at Caterpillar Inc.  She retired in 2004 and moved to Vonore 2005.  She has been involved with MCFA ever since she became friends with its founder, Anja Hammersmith in 2007.  As well as serving as secretary on the BOD, Deborah is active at the Thrift Store and helps tracking MCFA membership records.  She and her 2 cats, Dixie and JJ (adopted from our shelter), love living in East TN

Jim Barrett
(Vonore)

Jim and his wife, Cathy, are natives of Chicago & moved to Tennessee in 2009.   Cathy started volunteering at the shelter and shortly thereafter they started fostering puppies.   Jim has a BS in Business Admin and an MBA from Northern Illinois University.   Most of his business career was with Lucent Technologies with management in business planning, engineering, production, and distribution organizations.  Jim is a Vietnam vet, a buck Sgt paratrooper and Purple Heart recipient.  

Tom Smith
(Coker Creek)

If something needs done at the Monroe County Animal Shelter, Tom Smith is definitely on the short list of dependable people to call.

Tom retired from the construction field in 2008 and in 2009, moved to Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, he got involved with the animal shelter. For a short period of time, he was a Monroe County employee, working as an assistant kennel manager at the shelter. Since then, he has worked at the shelter as a volunteer, lending a wherever needed.

Tom’s list of contributions to the shelter is extremely long. Tom installed the shelter’s electric gate, built the puppy play yard, helped fellow volunteer Jim Barrett build the puppy house, volunteered at the MCFA Thrift Store when they were short-handed, and has spent countless hours at the shelter, cleaning and walking dogs.

For the past three years, Tom has served on the MCFA board. He currently focuses on shelter maintenance and maintaining the PetSmart van used for transports and adoptathons. In his spare time, Tom and his wife, Kathy also foster puppies and dogs for the shelter –more than 300, so far.

In addition to volunteering for the animal shelter, Tom does trail work with the Forestry Service and he’s helping build dormitories at the Smokey Mountain Christian Camp in Coker Creek, where he and his wife make their home.

Tom and his wife, Kathy, have 3 dogs and 2 cats, all rescues. All but one came from the Monroe County Animal Shelter. When asked why he volunteers with the MCFA, Tom said, “Animal welfare is a priority for me. I think that my abilities make a positive impact on the MCFA Board.

Scott Shapiro
(Tellico Plains)

Dr. Shapiro was born in Shaker Heights Ohio in 1960.  A short time later, his family moved to a small city just outside of Detroit, Michigan.  Dr. Shapiro and his parents remained in Michigan until 1977 when they relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

Dr. Shapiro Graduated from High school in 1978 and the following year, he was accepted in to the 77th Police Academy in Broward County Florida.  During his 25-year tenure with the sheriff’s office, Scott obtained his Batcheler’s degree in Business from Barry University.  Scott later went on to obtain his master’s in nutrition and two Doctoral degrees, one in Naturopathic Medicine and a second in Complementary and Alternative Medicine from Westbrook University.

Dr. Shapiro currently owns two successful businesses, National Intelligence and Investigative Group, a private investigation firm and Mountain Men Flippers, a construction and remodeling company.

Dr. Shapiro currently resides in Tellico Plains, Tennessee with his wife of 38 years, their two children and two grandchildren on their farm with over 50 animals.

Marni Sorrick
(Madisonville)

Marni relocated to Monroe County in 2018 after retiring from commercial banking. She volunteers at the MCFA thrift store two days a week. Marni and her husband enjoy camping with friends and family, and live with two dogs, four geese, and a small flock of chickens.

Teresa Underwood
Executive Director (Knoxville)

Teresa Underwood is a 20-year veteran of leadership and fundraising in the East Tennessee area. She brings to MCFA her experience working with different levels of nonprofits through fundraising, marketing, and events along with over 15 years in animal rescue (dogs, cats and potbelly pigs). She currently is an active officer of the Board with The Community Shares Organization, and newly elected to the Board of The Association of Fundraising Professionals – Great Smoky Mountain Chapter.

Her hobbies include working in the garden, hiking in nature and playing acoustic guitar. Her two cat fur-babies are Weetzie and Bijou. They are 13 years old and have been with her since their rescue 5 years ago. Teresa loves spending time with her 3 adult children and 3 grandchildren who also reside in East Tennessee.

Ed Roeber
(Tellico Village)

Edward H. Roeber enjoyed a successful career as a healthcare executive and consultant specializing in finance and management in nonprofit hospitals ranging from 20 to 1000 beds as well as other related businesses such as senior care, outpatient facilities and home health services.

He held various executive positions (Chief Financial Officer) for several major health systems and related entities including Humility of Mary Health System in Cleveland Oh, Mercy Health Partners in Cincinnati, OH, Mercy Health Partners, Springfield, OH., and West Penn Allegheny Health System in Pittsburgh, Pa.

In addition, he was Chief Financial Officer in Marion General Hospital, Marion, OH and Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Oh. Mr. Roeber held leadership roles in various professional and local nonprofit organizations’ boards and committees during his career. He was on the Board of MCFA between 2012 and 2018 and served as President for two years.

A native of Emporium Pa., Edward earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Gannon University in 1967 and an Associate degree from Robert Morris University in 1965. He is a past Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Contact the Executive Director Teresa Underwood at tunderwood@monroecountyfriendsofanimals.org

Contact the Board of Directors at info@monroecountyfriendsofanimals.org

Monroe County Friends of Animals, PO Box 106, Vonore, TN 37885

Or Call: 423-520-6887