As great as the Fox Valley Humane Association’s shelter facility on Two Mile Road may be, that’s not the only place it offers services. For the past year, a converted out of service ambulance donated by Gold Cross Ambulance Service has been taking pet care to the people.

The FVHA Mobile Clinic visited the Community Foundation today, not to care for pets but to seek caring donors.

Deb Lewis, executive director, explained that FVHA’s pet care outreach that includes the mobile clinic started when an out-of-work construction worker and his two crying daughters brought their dog to the shelter.

“Lady, I’m unemployed and I can’t feed my kids and my dog, so you have to take my dog,” he told Lewis.

Instead of filling out the intake forms, Lewis suggested she supply the family with several months’ worth of dog food and take care of the family dog’s vaccinations and medical needs.

He took her up on the offer. He found a job a few months later and the family, the dog and Lewis all came away happy.

The mobile clinic partners with Outagamie County, the Red Cross, LEAVEN and Saint Joesph’s Food Program to assist other pet owners and help keep pets and their people together whenever possible.

In calendar 2016, FVHA helped 863 families with its Community Pet Food Pantry program and performed 3,738 surgeries. Lewis expects the mobile clinic to drive that number higher and offer help to areas farther away.

Community Foundation donors supported Fox Valley Humane to the tune of $28,000 in the past fiscal year, about $9,000 of that unrestricted, meaning the shelter could apply the money where needed. With that kind of past support, Lewis is turning to the Community Foundation in hopes of finding support for the mobile clinic.

If you’d like to help sponsor the Mobile Clinic,  download the FVHA’s sponsorship packet or contact your Community Foundation donor services manager.

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