Friends of Front Street Shelter

We are again gratified by the generosity of our donors who continue to show that support for the well-being of our animals and the people who love them is a top priority in the region. Friends of Front Street Shelter continued our record of receiving the highest number of individual donations on the Big Day of Giving in 2023. We continued to return to in-person fundraising events in 2023 as more people were willing to venture out after the pandemic and enjoy the opportunity to congregate for a good cause.In addition to the program described below to provide part-time veterinarians for the Front Street Animal Shelter, we experienced other challenges in 2023. As we were able, Friends continued to help pet owners in need to obtain veterinary care, though the need far outstrips our resources. Nevertheless, donors funded almost $338,000 in direct aid for almost 250 owned pets in our community, eliminating the need to surrender those pets to all area shelters, not just Front Street. Recognizing the need to control a burgeoning population of community and feral cats, we sponsored a weekly spay/neuter day at the Community Spay Neuter Clinic at a cost of nearly $137,000 to fix and return almost 2,000 cats to their outdoor homes or feral colonies.We continued our efforts to help the animals coming into the Front Street Animal Shelter. We ensured that animals would have the veterinary care they need even if the shelter needs outside veterinary help, spending more than $66,000 in the effort. We realized that rescue organizations offer the greatest hope to keep euthanization rates as low as possible, so we continued to offer unprecedented cash grants to rescues who took animals with medical, behavioral, or other issues that make them difficult to adopt. We spent $114,000 on this groundbreaking effort. At a cost of more than $12,500, we also continued our innovative AdoptUs program for animals who need hospice care but still have love to give in the days they have left.We supported Front Streets monthly vaccination and microchip clinics, and Front Streets weekly pet-food pantry, both of which help everyone in need regardless of address or ability to prove their need. We sponsored events for rescues and other animal-welfare organizations to ensure their success, and we sponsored events where we can educate the public about Front Streets need for fosters and volunteers, and to publicize the benefits of spaying, neutering, and microchipping. We supported Home To Home, a re-homing website available to all who would otherwise need to surrender pets to all shelters in Sacramento County and beyond.We do much more than space permits here to benefit the lives of pets and people on both ends of the leash. We couldn't do it without the generosity of our big-hearted donors.A nationwide veterinarian shortage impacted shelters and clinics in and well beyond the Sacramento region. Friends of Front Street Shelter helped to alleviate the impact on the Front Street Animal Shelter by funding the hiring of part-time, on-call veterinarians at market rates and then seeking dollar-for-dollar reimbursement from the City. The cost of this undertaking has been in excess of $508,000 for 2023. Friends of Front Street seeks no additional fees or costs for providing this service to the shelter and the City.