MORTON GROVE, Ill. — A suburban rescue organization celebrating its 20th anniversary is asking for the public’s help to replace its only transport van after it collided with a deer.

On Thursday, Wright Way Rescue was headed downstate to Nashville, Illinois when a large deer bolted in front of the van. No animals were on board and the driver was shaken up, but okay.

It put the van out of commission and the organization is asking for donations to replace it.

The mission of Wright Way, which was started by founder Christy Anderson out of her Southern Illinois University dorm in 2003, is a special one.

The rescue specializes in going to rural downstate communities and small towns in the South to save animals from being euthanized.

“We don’t even work in towns that have animal control officers,” Anderson told WGN News. “They work hard but have significant challenges due to their size.”

The organization was able to drive to Missouri Wednesday, the day before the accident, to save a tiny puppy.

Anderson said the dog was abandoned and in critical condition prior to being rescued by the organization.

Wright Way is due for 87 rescues next week that it cannot provide without a van.

“We are not going to allow these dogs to get killed,” Anderson said. “We need the transport vehicle back to save 50 to 100 animals per week.”

Anderson around half are in “dire” situations and may be euthanized very soon.

WGN News has reported since that pandemic that shelters and rescue organizations have been in a crisis, with more animals coming in than being adopted and fostered.

Wright Way features two local adoption centers — one at its Morton Grove headquarters and one at Lambs Farm in Libertyville.

They’re in dire need of fosters as well.