It's been great to witness the outpouring of kindness toward others from some Butler County residents in recent weeks as initiatives aimed at helping others have drawn volunteers, despite freezing temperatures, a snowstorm and the highly transmissible omicron variant of COVID-19.

But it's great to see our furry, four-legged friends getting some TLC as well.

Last Monday, the Butler County Humane Society received numerous donations of $100 from county residents who were commemorating what would have been the 100th birthday of actress and animal lover Betty White, who died on Dec. 31.

A nationwide effort known as the “Betty White Challenge” was launched on social media that asked for people to give to their local animal rescue or shelter in the actress' name.

Amy Fifield, the humane society's director of community relations, said the organization had set a fundraising goal of $20,000 as part of the social media challenge. During the course of the week, the community helped the nonprofit to blow past that goal.

That's great news.

An editorial on this page early in the new year asked county residents to partake in the challenge by donating to the humane society, and the call was heeded.

According to some national trends, now is an especially good time to support your local humane society.

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were numerous reports on an uptick in people adopting or purchasing pets. As more people were staying home for work — and avoiding social outings — it's not surprising that they brought a pet home for companionship.

But sadly, not only has that trend not continued, but there's also been somewhat of a reversal.

A Reuters report last year found that as people were called back to work in the office and felt more comfortable going out into public, there was an increase around the nation of pets being returned to animal care centers.

Donations to the county humane society can go a long way, helping the organization with costs associated with veterinary care, spaying and neutering and micro-chipping animals.

And while it's lovely to see an initiative like the Betty White Challenge drawing attention to the humane society — which runs completely on public donations — your donations would likely be appreciated any time. This is a wonderful community organization that could use your assistance year-round.

— NCD