Journey's End: Volusia County animal sanctuary in desperate need of new home
DELAND, Fla. - Unlike traditional animal shelters, Journey's End does not focus on adoptions. Instead, the sanctuary takes in animals that are often considered unadoptable: the old, the sick, the injured, and the abandoned. Journey’s End in DeLAnd gives them a comfortable place to live out the rest of their lives.
For more than 45 years, the non-profit has housed hundreds of rescued animals in a home-like, cage-free environment.
"This is the end of their journey. So, they come here, they get all the love, all the care," said sanctuary manager Mara Pacheco. "This is a home-like environment. We don't use kennels; we don't use cages. They're here until their time comes."
However, following the sanctuary owner's death, the facility is in need of a new home – and finding a new place and affording it are not easy tasks.
53 animals under its care: cats, dogs, pot-bellied pigs, and sheep
The sanctuary is currently home to more than 50 animals:
- 39 cats: Many require special diets and medications due to varying stages of kidney disease.
- 8 dogs: Including long-term residents who have lived at the facility for up to 10 years.
- 3 pot-bellied pigs: Two of which were surrendered by previous owners who could no longer care for them due to housing constraints.
- 3 sheep: One of which was saved from the auction block.
Owner's death prompts search for a new home
The non-profit's stability was upended following the death of its founder, Florence Thuot, who died in 2024 at 96 years old. After her death, Journey's End's 5-acre property was transferred to a new owner, leaving the venue without a long-term venue or solution.
"We did not see this coming, we did not plan this, but we're up for the challenge," Pacheco said.
The countdown is on
Timeline:
The sanctuary's new property owner agreed to a temporary lease through the end of 2026. However, with rent set at $4,000 a month, Pacheco said the sooner the sanctuary can secure a permanent property and move, the better it will be for their finances and the animals.
They're actively looking for a new home that meets the following requirements:
- 3-5 acres
- Must be zoned for agricultural use
- Within or near Volusia County
A $300,000 goal
What you can do:
The sanctuary has launched a GoFundMe with a goal of raising $300,000. As of Friday afternoon, a total of $725 had been raised.
"Please, we desperately need your help! Realistically we have 90 days! Our goal is to raise $300,000 to go towards our need for a home with 3 to 5 acres of land, zoned agriculture. A place we will own! Large enough to continue to open our doors, which we have done for over 45 years, to animals in need of a soft place to call home, forever. A home, just like the one we have to give up, with comfortable couches and chairs and never a cage, with grazing areas and dry, safe corrals. To carry on the dream Florence made real and never worry about being told to leave, ever again," reads their online fundraiser.
The Source: FOX 35's Hannah Mackenzie talked with Mara Pacheco, manager of Journey's End sanctuary, and visited the property to get a first-hand look.