Emma, an adoptable dog currently at the Chester County SPCA shelter, is just one of the animals that stands to benefit from the Petco $60,000 grant.
WEST CHESTER – The Chester County SPCA (CCSPCA) recently announced it has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the Petco Foundation to support the shelter’s outreach initiatives in the community and increase the organization’s lifesaving capability.
The CCSPCA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the welfare and humane treatment of animals and serves as the open admission shelter for both Chester and Delaware Counties. The community served by the CCSPCA boasts a population of over 1 million people spread across 934 square miles of varying landscapes, from rural farms to inner cities.
Serving as the only open admission shelter for two counties has forced the CCSPCA to evaluate and improve shelter programs and services in order to meet the needs of their sizeable community. Evidence of successful lifesaving efforts can be found in the shelter’s statistics. The CCSPCA’s annual live release rates achieved have consistently risen in recent years: 60% in 2011, 63% in 2012, 65% in 2013, and 83% in 2014.
The receipt of the Petco Foundation’s Lifesaving Impact Award acknowledges the success of the programs and services that have supported the CCSPCA’s efforts thus far and will help maintain the shelter’s exceptional level of operation moving forward. The Petco Foundation investment will financially support the CCSPCA’s strategic plan to address unmet needs in the community and increase the shelter’s lifesaving efforts.
Grant funding will be used to implement a targeted free- and low-cost spay/neuter program in the areas with the highest poverty rate in each of the respective counties served by the CCSPCA: Coatesville City in Chester County, and Chester City in Delaware County.
Awarded funds will also be used to support other aspects of the CCSPCA’s outreach efforts, which include providing free vaccinations, pet supplies, and general wellness care to the pets in shelter’s targeted areas while also providing humane education to the community.
A free vaccination clinic will be hosted by the CCSPCA on Saturday, May 9 at Chester City Hall, 1 Fourth Street, Chester. The clinic is available to all residents from Delaware and Chester Counties. The CCSPCA will provide free vaccinations to 300 owned pets in the community as well as free food assistance to through the shelter’s pet food pantry, Henry’s Cupboard.
According to Adam Lamb, Executive Director, the CCSPCA has learned that it must be adaptable and progressive in altering shelter programs and services to meet the evolving needs of the community. “The Petco Foundation grant will help us expand our reach into the community and allow us to assist animals in need beyond the walls of our shelter,” said Lamb.
The industry-wide goal to be considered a no-kill organization in the animal welfare community is to achieve a live release rate of at least 90%. The CCSPCA has met and surpassed the 90% live release goal to achieve no-kill status in each of the last six months. Only a small number of open admission shelters across the country have met and maintained the no-kill criteria and the CCSPCA is one of the first to do so in Pennsylvania.
For more information about the Chester County SPCA or the Petco Foundation, please visit www.ccspca.org or www.petcofoundation.org.
