The Los Banos Animal Shelter received a $7,500 grant from the national nonprofit, Petco Love, on May 10, and formally accepted the grant on May 15.
Police Sergeant Ivan Mendez stated in response to an email from the Westside Express that animal life saving efforts supported by the grant will include adoptions, spay/neuters, medical treatment, grooming and more.
The grant was announced as part of Petco Love’s $15 million budget in nationwide investments. According to Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love, the grant donations are part of their commitment to “create a future where no pet is unnecessarily euthanized.”
Petco Love has invested $380 million since its founding in 1999. The organization believes it has helped 6.8 million pets be adopted through partnerships with 4,000 organizations and Petco.
According to its records, the Los Banos Animal Shelter has had 389 adoptions, 2,740 rescues and 866 reclaimed pets since 2021.
“The impact of this life saving investment is not measured in dollars,” said Mendez. The investment “enables us the ability to provide better care, more love and brighter futures for the pets in our shelter.” The majority of the funds are expected to be spent by the end of the year.
This grant is the latest in a series of grants totaling $177,500 to the shelter in the last year and a half according to Mendez. $160 thousand has been from the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. Another $10,000 was received from Maggie’s Fund.
Mendez credits Levi Fistori from Feral Freedom Northern California as “instrumental” in helping the shelter receive the grant from UC Davis. Fistori also spearheaded the coordination of various spay and neuter clinics with volunteers. “We are working excellently together to bring a large amount of resources to residents of Los Banos via this funding,” Mendez stated.
There are other grant applications underway, according to Mendez. “I knew there was a need at the shelter for additional funding for improvements,” he saic, “so I began seeking grant funding in early 2022.”
By December of the same year, the shelter had received its first grant: $50,000 from UC Davis. Mendez has sent a renewal application for the same grant, “I am hoping to hear whether it is awarded by the end of May.”
