KCK Animal Services Receives $3K Grant for Spay and Neuter Supplies

KCK Animal Services Receives $3K Grant for Spay and Neuter Supplies

Published on October 17, 2024

Original Press Release Date: October 17, 2024
Press Release Source: Northeast Kansas Animal Welfare Foundation

Northeast Kansas Animal Welfare Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of over $16,000.00 in grant funding for capital improvements and professional development scholarships. This grant funding will have a substantial impact on animal rescue and sheltering efforts in our region. The current economic landscape is making it difficult for some organizations to keep up with the demands of veterinary care, pet overpopulation, and inflation on general operating costs. "Our intention is that these grant awards can help offset the strain placed on their budgets, allowing them to focus primarily on direct care for the animals they serve," said Justin Brokar, President & CEO of Northeast Kansas Animal Welfare Foundation. "Thanks to our donors, we're able to play an important role in supporting the infrastructure and the people needed to care for the pets in need."

Friends of KCK Animal Services is being awarded $3,000.00 to purchase spay and neuter surgical supplies. This funding will allow KCK Animal Services to continue building their veterinary supply inventory. The Foundation's investment in Kansas City, Kansas' animal shelter will allow them to expand the services they offer to help ensure more pets are being sterilized. Reducing the number of unwanted litters and preventing pets from reproducing is essential to combatting the pet overpopulation crisis.

Originally founded as a charitable entity to focus solely on Shawnee County animal welfare issues, the Foundation expanded its mission in 2019, making it possible for organizations like Friends of KCK Animal Services to apply for their grant funding. During the 2023 and 2024 grant cycles, Northeast Kansas Animal Welfare Foundation has awarded nearly $30,000.00 in funding to animal shelters and rescues in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Other Capital Improvement Award Recipients:

Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, Ottawa/Emporia/Manhattan: $2,845.00 for needed supplies at their 3 locations including a diagnostic light, laryngoscope, and cautery light for their Ottawa shelter. It will also provide a laryngoscope and heating pads for their Manhattan shelter. Emporia's shelter will receive much needed microchip scanners to help reunite lost pets with their owners.

Humane Society of Atchison, Atchison: $2,632.00 to cover the materials and installation of doors that are needing to be replaced. A spokesperson for the Humane Society of Atchison said, "This capital improvement grant is a continuation of the planned upgrades to our twenty-four-year-old building and will help us maintain the standards of living for homeless animals that we have been known for."

Forever Home Pet Rescue, Americus: $1,710.00 to sponsor new laptops and a printer to help them be more efficient and find more homes for the animals in their care.

Professional Development Scholarship Recipients:

Street Cats Club, Emporia: $3,500.00 to send three of their volunteers to the Humane Society of United States' Animal Care Expo in 2025. This is the premiere animal welfare industry conference. They will be learning about access to care, engaging for change, field services, and progressive programs, among other world-class workshops which will equip them with the knowledge needed to better fulfill their mission and implement new lifesaving programs in our region.

Lawrence Humane Society, Lawrence: In addition to the support of a Lawrence Humane Society donor, NKAWF is providing a $2,900.00 scholarship for their social worker, Maddie Lockett, to obtain a graduate certificate in Social Aspects of Human-Animal Interactions from Colorado State University. Lawrence Humane believes that animal shelters can and should be an integral social service agency in a community. The education that Maddie receives from this opportunity will help strengthen their outreach programs. It will allow LHS to start Douglas County's first pet loss grief counseling program and help build resilience and increase retention among staff, fosters, volunteers, and adopters.

More information about each grant award can be found on the blog at NKAWF.org. The next grant cycle offered by the Foundation will be for spay and neuter assistance in the spring.

About Northeast Kansas Animal Welfare Foundation

Founded in 1983 by a group of pet advocates who wanted to support animal sheltering efforts in Shawnee County and raise awareness about spaying and neutering, this Foundation has evolved and adapted to meet the growing needs of the animal welfare movement. Three decades later and our founding principles continue to guide us, but now in an effort to support pets throughout northeast Kansas. The Foundation plays an important role in leveraging donor support to address the needs of pets in our region. We accomplish this through strategic grant funding, professional development, and collaborative advocacy and awareness. Northeast Kansas Animal Welfare Foundation exists to help ensure that animal welfare organizations that care for the needs of homeless, neglected, and disadvantaged pets, maximize their lifesaving potential.

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