Community Adopts Pets at Butte Humane Society Event

Forever Home Project adoption event waives fees, finds homes for dozens of animals

Published on Feb. 22, 2026

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The Butte Humane Society in Chico, California, held its annual Forever Home Project adoption event on Saturday, offering waived adoption fees to prospective pet owners. The event, sponsored by local technology company Matson and Isom, saw around 10 animals adopted in the first 45 minutes, with the shelter hoping to clear out all 45 animals available that day. The adoption process still involved counseling to ensure good fits between pets and owners, but the lack of fees helped drive high turnout and enthusiasm from the community.

Why it matters

Events like the Forever Home Project help the Butte Humane Society fulfill its mission of finding permanent homes for animals, including those at risk of euthanasia at other shelters. The waived fees make adoption more accessible, while the community engagement helps raise awareness of the organization's work.

The details

The Forever Home Project adoption event ran from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026. Butte Humane Society's operations manager Meaghan Johnson said around 10 animals had been adopted in the first 45 minutes, and the shelter was hoping to clear out all 45 animals available that day. The adoption process still involved counseling from "adoption counselors" to ensure good fits between pets and owners, but the lack of fees helped drive high turnout and enthusiasm from the community.

  • The Forever Home Project adoption event ran from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
  • Around 10 animals had been adopted in the first 45 minutes of the event.

The players

Butte Humane Society

A local animal shelter in Chico, California that partners with other shelters and the community to find permanent homes for animals.

Meaghan Johnson

The operations manager at Butte Humane Society.

Matson and Isom

A technology consulting company based in Chico that sponsored the Forever Home Project adoption event by covering all adoption fees.

Tyler Smith

The CEO and partner of Matson and Isom, who helped sponsor the event and took photos of people adopting pets.

Katherine Schwab

The partnership and event manager at Butte Humane Society.

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What they’re saying

“We definitely had more animals in the shelter (last year). So we're hoping to clear the shelter today, we have about 45 animals available today.”

— Meaghan Johnson, Operations Manager, Butte Humane Society (orovillemr.com)

“Everybody's just buzzing with energy and wanting to come in here. Getting to see the looks on people's faces when they meet their forever pet, it's really rewarding.”

— Tyler Smith, CEO and Partner, Matson and Isom (orovillemr.com)

“It really grabs the attention of the community, and any opportunity that we can just get more animals into homes is huge. It gives us the opportunity to continue supporting and bringing in other animals that are looking for their forever home.”

— Katherine Schwab, Partnership and Event Manager, Butte Humane Society (orovillemr.com)

What’s next

The Butte Humane Society plans to continue partnering with local shelters and the community to find permanent homes for animals in need.

The takeaway

Events like the Forever Home Project adoption drive demonstrate the power of community engagement and removing financial barriers to help find loving homes for shelter animals, furthering the Butte Humane Society's mission of saving lives and supporting the local pet community.