05/02/2025
Hello to all our friends and supporters these past 12 years. We needed you and you were always there for us! The reason we have remained dedicated to helping the animals is because there are so many people dedicated to hurting them. It has been only made possible because of all the donors and volunteers through the years.
Over the years we have saved hundreds of lives - both dogs and cats. We helped many rescues with funding and donating items to give them the ability to raise money. We have helped the shelter dog with Heartworm treatments and more. We actually started St. Nicks to help the shelter animals because they did not get funding and it grew to be so much more. The stories we heard through the years were heartbreaking and sometimes loving family members gave us a mission to keep going on. Some dogs stand out more than others and some people I will never forget. For 12 years I had a mission and even though many nights I went without sleep waiting to get an animal to Emergency clinics it gave me a reason to keep going and try to make a difference.
I can't thank our volunteers enough who met a total stranger with a mission and decided to jump aboard and volunteer for anything we needed. That involved transporting dogs, helping fundraise, helping us with our annual Halloween party fundraiser and moral support for me during the difficult times. Most of the volunteers have been with me since day one and are no longer volunteers but have become friends and family – let’s call us “Framily”.
The struggle I faced running St. Nicks was I hated asking the public for help. We spent most of the 12 years raising the money by doing events. When Covid hit things changed drastically. Since then, it has become more of a challenge to raise funds to meet the needs. I want to thank all the followers who donated especially “RS”. This volunteer would always send a check when they had extra no questions asked and so believed in our organization. I want to thank the volunteers who helped us with social media, printing for events and those who worked tirelessly in setup and take down of our huge Halloween parties.
The one thing I loved about Georgia was that everyone worked together and helped and supported each other. My relationships with the rescues and vets we used in Georgia were solid and I have nothing but respect for each and every one of them. I have to thank Animal Medical Clinic for always being there for us. The vets and staff are top notch.
When I moved to Florida, my hope was to start a second chapter to be able to support both states. However, we couldn’t make that happen. Most of the rescues in Florida just wanted handouts and nobody trusted each other. The current situation in the rescue world is overwhelmingly complicated. We always hoped it would get better, but instead it gets worse every day. So many animals are being surrendered and euthanized due to the overwhelming amount of animals in the shelters.
This decision has not been made easily and we have discussed this over and over again, but after 12 years of helping animals in need we are exhausted. It is with a heavy heart I report that St. Nick’s Closet will be closing its doors soon.
As I get older, life changes course and I will always find a way of making a difference in the world -but this chapter of my life has come to an end. Babies are being born and parents are getting older and sometimes you need to make time for these while deciding where the next chapter of your life will take you. From the Bottom of my heart I want to thank each and everyone of you for if it wasn't for you we would never exist.
Although we have decided to close St. Nick’s Closet, we agreed to help ONE MORE TIME. One of our folks reached out about a pending cruelty court case (this is why the picture of the pup is covered). We call her “Angel” in this post since we are not allowed to use her real name. This 18 month old dog was neglected and abused, lived outside in a tiny crate only covered with a plastic tarp for most of her life. The two owners must face serious charges, but the GA Law System is slow, so these court case dogs sit in the shelter for months, sometimes years without a chance of adoption. Our foster took this dog in but – since she is a court case – the county shelter doesn’t pay for vet fees. Angel is sick, maybe meningitis caused by ticks, maybe another tick related disease. This poor baby will have an ultrasound done tomorrow to see what is really going on. She is not able to walk normally anymore and is running a fever. We had to help. She will be our final animal we help.
Again, with a tearful goodbye, I thank you for 12 years of making a real difference in the animal community. I wish all of our volunteers and donors nothing but the very best and say again, thank you.
For the animals,
Stephan Curcio
St Nick’s Closet
