Local nonprofit helps community with low-cost pet care options
by Emaryi Williams
Lisa O’Neill is the Executive Director of Angels of Assisi, a nonprofit organization located in Roanoke, Virginia. She says their mission is to keep animals healthy and in their homes.
“We want to be a place of resource,” O’Neill said. “We want to be a place of hope where people that may not be able to afford veterinary care can have their animals seen here.”
In 2020, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimated that over 24.4 million pets were living in poverty due to COVID-19, and the number doesn’t seem to be slowing down as O’Neill says she has seen a dramatic increase in the number of pets needing assistance.
“There’s a lot of animals being surrendered to local pounds. Our own adoption center animals are being returned sometimes after eight or nine years because people don’t have housing,” she said.
The executive director said when an owner is going through financial hardships, they often see the animal suffering from neglect.
“I think when people see their pet becoming sick, and they don’t have the money to take care of it, they become more detached from it,” she explained.
O’Neill says she’s seen dogs with preventable masses, viruses, dental issues, amputations, and tumors, however, their owners couldn’t afford care. She wants people in Southwest Virginia to know Angels of Assisi is willing to help.
(Photo: Emaryi Williams)
“We’re able to work with people on payment plans. We’re a nonprofit, so we can offer lower-cost services,” O’Neill said. “We’re fortunate to have a very great staff of veterinarians who believe in our mission.”
One of those staff members, Director of Adoptions Ethan Claridge says that she originally worked in Florida as a vet assistant. When it was time to move, she knew she wanted to be a part of something that helps the lives of animals. She was drawn to Angels of Assisi.
“I like when we have events to lower the costs. It helps us bring exposure to the clinic and provide people with opportunities,” Claridge says.
Both Claridge and O’Neill stress the importance of using provided services if people need a little help. Angels of Assisi also has a pet food pantry housed in the closed Saleeba Store of Hope in Roanoke. Once every month, residents can go to the store to get food for their pets.
Every Saturday, O’Neill says they host a small health clinic for the community, and every year, they host a fair, where owners can get reduced services.
In addition, the shelter has two trucks, one of which is used as a mobile clinic, where residents can come to the vehicle and get pet care.
“We go to other places in Roanoke, we go to Floyd County, we’ve gone to West Virginia. So, we’ll do kind of pop-up mobile clinics out of that truck where people can get low-cost care.”
The other vehicle is used to collect pets from other shelters and transport them to the Angels of Assisi building and back, so staff can give the animals preventative care. People being displaced or moving can also leave their pets with the shelter for a few months to get situated before bringing their pets into a new space.
To afford giving these services, the non-profit relies on donations from the public.
“So people drop off donations,” O’Neill said. “A lot of them we use for our adoption center animals, and a lot of them we use for people who need help with their pets.”
O’Neill says everything comes full circle, as money donations have reached an amount enabling the nonprofit to build a new facility, creating the possibility to host more animals. More ways to donate can be found here.
