The Rhode Island Foundation has awarded $550,000 to 24 animal-welfare programs, many of which say they’ve seen an increased need for their services from pet owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation.
The money will help provide services such as reduced-cost veterinary care for pets of low-income households, preparing animals for adoption and rehabilitating injured wildlife, the foundation said in a news release.
For example, Friends of Animals in Need of North Kingstown received $30,000 for a program that helps struggling pets owners get veterinary care for their animals. The organization says its mission is “to provide financial assistance for veterinary care and pet food to financially challenged pet owners, in order to avoid the surrender, abandonment or euthanizing of their pet.”
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Russ Shabo, executive director Friends of Animals in Need, said in the news release, “Our goal is to keep people and their beloved pets together. These are people whose pets are an integral part of their family life. In some cases, as with the elderly or widowed, their pets fill an emotional void by providing them with love, companionship, comfort and purpose.”
“The cost of groceries, gas and rent are at an all-time high, and with the cost of living out of sight, when a precious pet has medical issues in need of attention, it becomes increasingly more difficult to address them,” Shabo said. “These funds will go a long way in helping us be there for people whose pets are an important part of their daily life.”
The grant will support veterinary services for about 300 animals.
The Potter League for Animals received $110,000, including $40,000 to purchase medical supplies for its East Providence clinic, and $30,000 to subsidize the cost of medical procedures for pet owners at its spay clinic in Warwick. The Potter League’s animal care clinic in Middletown received $30,000 for shelter and veterinary care, as well as $10,000 for humane education programming in Newport County.
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Brad Sheer, executive director of the Potter League, said, “The demand for care continues to expand for many reasons, including increased public awareness of our services, an increase in referrals from private veterinary practices and increasing financial need of owners.”
“By supporting pet owners with the greatest need, they are not forced to make difficult decisions about paying for veterinary care over other necessities or relinquishing pets due to their inability to pay,” he said.
Many Rhode Island Foundation supporters request that that their donations are used to help animals, said Neil Steinberg, president and CEO. The foundation says it has a special program, the Program for Animal Welfare, that funds organizations that “promote and provide humane treatment of animals or work more generally on the welfare of animals.”
It’s “a big program,” Steinberg said, although the majority of foundation grants go toward efforts that help people with housing, food, education and health care. Last year, the foundation awarded a total of $76 million in grants and will surpass that this year, Steinberg said.
Financial struggles growing from the pandemic and inflation have spilled over to pets, Steinberg noted. “It’s tough times for people and tough times for animals,” he said.
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Here’s a list of other groups that received grants: Animal Rescue Rhode Island, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, East Greenwich Animal Protection League, Foster Parrots, Friends of Central Falls Animals, Friends of the Scituate Animal Shelter, Historic New England, Mystic Aquarium, Norman Bird Sanctuary, PawsWatch, Pawtucket Animal Shelter, Providence Animal Rescue League, R.I. Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, RIVMA Companion Animal Foundation, Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue, Stand Up for Animals, Ten Lives Cat Rescue, the town of Westerly, Vintage Pet Rescue, West Place Animal Sanctuary and Wildlife Rehabilitators.
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