More Mobile Medical Help--Free

A short while ago, I wrote a blog piece on a mobile medical aid unit in Toledo, Ohio, and how you might find a mobile medical unit in your town.  As it happens, there is a nonprofit group that aims to provide mobile care in various poor places in the world--including the United States.  It's the Remote Area Medical volunteers.  They come through towns and provide medical diagnosis and treatment for two days, free of charge.  Here's their U.S. schedule through the end of 2014. While they don't come everywhere, they go through several states, with an emphasis on the Appalachian region in Kentucky and Tennessee.  They also offer veterinary care.

If you are uninsured, you can also find a free health clinic by putting in your address, or your state of county.  

Another Way to Raise Funds for Medical Care

In our last entry, we discussed the the "soup movement,"  a way of raising money for art projects that don't fall under a 501c3 umbrella and without the legal paperwork of nonprofits in the U.S., either.  Today we will discuss another avenue for raising money for other things that are charitable, or require charity, but aren't  501c3's (501c3 being the IRS designation for charitable nonprofits).  It's the for-profit website Give Forward, which creates crowdfunding for individuals that need it.

If you go to their website, they will give you short instructions on how to create a website to campaign for funds.  They can be for any cause--vet bills, medical bills, etc.  In fact, they have a short list of possible alternative resources listed on the bottom of their front page.  They stay in business by charging 7% on each transaction, which covers credit card charges, Paypal expenses, etc.  Fundraisers get their funds released to them if they are over or near their fundraising goal.  For this reason, Give Forward suggests that you set a modest, obtainable goal at the beginning, although it can be altered.  There is also an end date, and Give Forward will process and give the donated funds within 10 days of that date.

If you need to raise funds for a medical need, Give Forward could be a way to spread beyond your immediate community and the exhausting crush of car wash/spaghetti dinners/other fundraisers that take lots of manpower.  It's worth considering.  Here's some other tips and help on fundraising for an individual's health needs.

Veterinary and Food Help for Pets of Low-Income People

The economy is hard on many of us, including our pets.  A couple of years ago, I wrote about some sources of help available to those whose pets needed veterinary care.  Here's an update with some more sources.

If your pet needs spaying and neutering, here's a nationwide list of low-cost spaying/neutering places from Love That Cat, with another spay/neuter list from the ASPCA.  Some people need help with the basic care and upkeep of their pets, and the Humane Society of the United States has compiled a list of groups that help with basic pet care costs.  Here's another batch of organizations that help with veterinary costs.  And yet another from Pit Bull Rescue (but they are NOT restricted to that breed).

And then there are feral cats, the colonies of cats that live outside of human control.  Many people want to help them, but how to do it without adding to their problems, and the problems of the community? For advocates of the trap/neuter/release system, that means helping control their population, while still providing them with some support.  Ally Cat Allies is a prominent group in the feral cat movement, and they have an online list of local groups that may provide support for feral cats in your area.  The Humane Society of the United States also has a list of feral cat support groups.

There's also a group that provides the (nonprofit) equivalent of food stamps for pets.

Also, there's Red Rover, which provides help for pet owners who are fleeing domestic violence and helps "good Samaritans" who rescue animals with life threatening conditions, and who have a whole list of financial help help for pet owners.

New Stuff for Animal Care.

I was alerted to another site on animal care resources, the Pet Financial Aid Organization. They have regional and national resources not only for pet care, but regional spay/neuter programs.

And Shorty here? He's trying to suck your soul out through the internet. Bad kitty!

Money to Pay for Veterinary Bills?

Update:  More help for pets.  With hard economic times, a touchy subject for pet owners are veterinary bills. Many humans are hard-pressed to find money for their own medical bills. But what if your beloved pet is gravely ill, and you just don't have the money?

Some avenues of help exist, although they are flooded with applicants. A good place to start looking is IMOM (In Memory of Magic). This nonprofit group may help qualified pet owners IF: the medical procedure is pending (not one already done), and the owner is unable to pay for it, AND the surgery is required--not elective--for the animal's survival or relief from pain. They also have a program to financially aid pet rescue organizations. Besides this, they have a page listing other veterinary financial aid organizations.

The Magic Bullet Fund helps canines suffering from cancer whose owners are unable to afford treatment.

Actors and Others for Animals runs several programs for animals, including a program for low-cost spaying and neutering and emergency veterinary assistance in southern California. Call at (818) 755-6045 or (818) 755-6323 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m., Pacific time.