Bill Harrison has always loved animals. But it wasn't until opening up his own thrift store for animal welfare, Furbish Thrift, that he began to realize just how much they mean to him and his community.

“I realized what a gift animals are to a household," he said. "And when you have a happier household, you have a happier and healthier community. And when you have a healthier community, you have a healthier city.”

Harrison never used to be the kind of guy to show you pictures of his pets. Now, he'll proudly pull his phone out to show people his coonhound Lily and mixed lab Emma.

It was during a brainstorming session that Harrison's partner, Mark Burkett, suggested: “why don’t we open a thrift store to raise money for animals?” And so, the William A. Harrison Jr. Foundation and Furbish Thrift were born.

The project felt intuitive for Harrison, who had fallen in love with nonprofit work since his first position with what was then the Fan Free Clinic (now Health Brigade).

“It just really fits my personality, and I love being a part of something that is giving back, and that's what nonprofit is all about,” Harrison said.

Many of the programs Furbish runs and sponsors are dedicated to helping make pet ownership affordable and sustainable.

That includes providing free pet food through the 6,000 pounds the nonprofit donates monthly, collaborating with local nonprofits providing medical care and neutering to neighborhood strays, spaying and neutering animals in kennels so that adoption is more affordable for those interested, and partnering with a nonprofit that delivers pet food to seniors who do not have access to transportation.

“That's been a real eye opener for me, the people who cannot afford to keep their pets, and again, if that pet is your main source of family and companionship, it's critically important on so many levels,” Harrison said.

The nonprofit provides free medication, food, blankets, leashes, collars, hosts adoption events, funds vet tech scholarships, and more.

Long-term, Harrison hopes to buy a bigger space, as the thrift store already has a spillover space in the same Southside shopping center for events that don’t fit in the main storefront. He also wants to add adoption classes and programming to help educate those interested in rescuing an animal.

The organization has 15 paid staff members, and the rest of its work is done by volunteers and the group’s 13 board members. Harrison attributes a lot of Furbish’s success to that board, which he said is composed of people with retail, animal welfare, nonprofit, and far-reaching experiences and backgrounds.

“We've only been here a little over two years, and when we first started being a new organization, we were putting the word out that we're here," he said. "I was talking to a woman recently, and she said, ‘If it wasn't for you, I would not be able to keep my dog.’

“I think the biggest piece of awareness that has come to me is how much an animal brings to us, and to the community.”