PetSmart Charities® Awards $30,000 to Lollypop Farm
Grant funds low-cost spay/neuter program offered by local humane society
Fairport, N.Y. – Lollypop Farm, the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, has received a grant totaling $30,000 from PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America. This donation will help fund the organization’s Spay/Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), a low-cost spay/neuter service for qualified dog and cat owners.
Kittens and puppies contribute a large portion of the animals admitted to the Lollypop Farm shelter, and they often need extensive, individualized care. In order to prevent these unplanned litters, Lollypop Farm offers SNIP to help spay or neuter more pets in the community and reduce the number of pets entering the shelter. Sterilization also has health and behavioral benefits for dogs and cats, such as the reduced risk of cancer, which can lead to longer, healthier lives with their owners.
“We are thankful for this grant from PetSmart Charities,” says Alice Calabrese, President and CEO at Lollypop Farm. “This support makes it possible for our team of veterinarians and veterinary technicians to provide increased access to sterilization services in our community.”
PetSmart Charities aims to proactively prevent pet homelessness. Since 1994, the organization has granted more than $100 million to support spay and neuter efforts across the United States.
“We are proud to support the work of Lollypop Farm to bring affordable spay/neuter services to local pet families,” said Sima Thakkar, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “Thanks to our generous donors across the nation and the hard work of this trusted organization, under-resourced pet owners will have access to basic pet care.”
Pet owners must apply for the SNIP program and meet specific criteria to qualify for the low cost of the services. SNIP spay or neuter surgeries are performed by the veterinary team in the state-of-the-art Klingenstein Veterinary Clinic at Lollypop Farm in Fairport. In addition to the sterilization surgery, each pet receives a general wellness exam, rabies and distemper vaccinations, and a nail trim. Owners may also opt to pay low fees for microchips, flea/tick treatments, and de-worming. Funding from the PetSmart Charities grant will subsidize the cost of providing these services to pet owners at lower fees, ensuring that more pets in our community are healthy and have homes.
For more information about Lollypop Farm’s spay and neuter programs visit https://www.lollypop.org/services/spayneuter-assistance/
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About Lollypop Farm, Humane Society of Greater Rochester
Established in 1873, Lollypop Farm is the largest animal welfare organization helping pets and people in the Greater Rochester area. The Humane Society is committed to building lifelong bonds between people and animals through education, community outreach, and the prevention of cruelty. With a main campus in Fairport and four other adoption centers throughout the community, the organization provides shelter, care, and adoption for dogs, cats, small animals, birds, reptiles, horses, and other farm animals. Lollypop Farm is an independent nonprofit organization supported solely through contributions, grants, investments, proceeds from retail sales, and fees for programs and services. For more information and to meet adoptable animals, please visit www.lollypop.org.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 500,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to nonprofits aligned with its mission under key areas of support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $340 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 15 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org.
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