Free Veteran's Day Meals, 2014 and Free Cat Microchipping in Detroit

Two items: a big list of free and discounted meals for veterans in honor of Veteran's Day 2014 can be found at the Military Wallet. Be sure to read the part about proof of eligibility. The site also has excellent stuff about military benefits and other financial info for veterans.

And the Michigan Humane Society is offering free microchipping for 2000 cats on a first come first serve basis. Microchipping helps positively identify lost pets. For a list of more financial help for pet owners, see these Freemoneyatemybrain entries.

If you live in the Cincinnati area, check out the Pet Alliance of Ohio's Microchip Ohio program, which is starting a pilot program of low cost microchipping in Ohio.

Money To Help Out Teachers

There's money out there for schools and their projects, but what about individual teachers?  Some small money for small projects exists. 

For K-8 teachers who want money to get a small pet, such as a hamster, guinea pig or gerbil for their classroom, there's Pets in the Classroom.  It's a rebate program in which teachers must first purchase their pet and supplies, then get a rebate from one of the organization's commercial pet supply partners.

For teachers involved in teaching drama, the International Thespian Society sponsors educational programs and workshops for teachers and students involved in drama, and has grants available for teachers who want to attend their conference. 

For Ohio educators at secular schools, the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation offers grants of up to $3000 for innovative teaching in the classroom.  See their website for more details.

Food Stamps for Pets

We've written before about various sources of help for low-income people to provide food and veterinary care for their pets.  Now, there is a program to provide the nonprofit equivalent of "food stamps" for pets.  It's NOT a government program, but instead is run by a nonprofit in New York state.  It's for people who are themselves on food stamps, or eligible for them.  See this site for an online application.  The food itself is available through PetFlow, an online pet food company.  There's no cost to the beneficiaries, but there may be a several week wait between application and when you get the stamps.  If you have an immediate emergency, try this directory of pet food banks and other resources.

Money to Improve the Life of Farm Animals, or Rescued Animals

Two groups of animals have traditionally had a hard row to hoe--animals in need of rescue, and farm animals.  Some funding exists to make the lifes of these animals a bit better.

Animal Welfare Approved is an organization dedicated to improving the lifes of farm and ranch animals and providing certification to farms that provide humane, free-range lives for their animals.  They also provide grants to farms for projects that improve the conditions of the animals; for instance, non-lethal predator control, for better housing and genetic improvements.  In the past, grants of up to $5000 have been made.  Right now, they have already taken applications for the 2012-2013 grant cycle and will not take applications again until 2014.  But you may wish to get on their email list to find out about the next round of funding.

Red Rover is a nonprofit dedicated to saving the lives of animals rescued by individuals.  Often, veterinary care for rescued animals is a real hardship, so they offer money to help with life-threatening medical conditions in these animals.  They also provide grants for the boarding of pets by victims of domestic violence, so that the animals can safely escape, too.  In addition, they have a listing of other national and local grant sources to help pet owners.

See these other postings on financial help for pets.

Free Spaying and Neutering in Various Locations Across the U.S.

While meeting for a card game with a colleague, she excitedly told me about a speaker at her branch library from Humane Ohio, a low-cost pet spay and neuter organization in Toledo, Ohio.  Apparently, the speaker's animal welfare evangelism was contagious, and she got caught up in it.  Now she was spreading his word that Humane Ohio had a new program--totally FREE spaying and neutering for feral (free roaming) cats in the 43609 and 43605 zip codes in Toledo. That is, as long as the grant money holds out.

I've written before about low-cost programs for animal care but mostly with an eye towards reducing costs.  But if the need for animal control in a particular community is great--and they can find grant money to pick up the costs--some programs are picking up all the costs for spaying and neutering for needy clients.  In Toledo, the cat overpopulation program in those zip codes made them a target for Humane Ohio.  But there are programs available in other cities, too.

In Los Angeles, the Animal Services office offers free spaying and neutering for dogs and cats owned by disabled and elderly low-income citizens if you qualify  In Maricopa County Arizona (which includes the city of Phoenix), the county Animal Care and Control Office has a set amount of vouchers for free dog and cat spaying and neutering each month for which you can apply. 

In New York City, the Mayor's Alliance for New York City Animals has, among its low-cost programs, a free spay, neuter and vasectomy program for pit bulls (that vasectomy thing is a new one on me.  All the population control, none of the loss of hormones).  In Manatee County Florida, there are free spay/neuter programs available for residents that meet low-income requirements.  The hotline number is 941-749-3067.  In Travis County/Austin Texas, Emancipet has a mobile unit that performs free spaying and neutering.  It's first come, first served, and means waiting in line to sign up your pet.

For more locations for free (or, more likely low-cost) spaying and neutering, see this ASPCA site.

Food and Help for the Pets of Homeless People

A colleage came across this website and pointed it out to me: a network of organizations that helps the pets of homeless people.  It sounded like a mighty tiny niche indeed, but according to their statistics, between 5% and 10% of homeless people own a dog or cat.  This sounds more reasonable when you consider that many are homeless for small periods of time, rather than for months or years on end.  I once volunteered in an animal shelter, and some animals landed there because their owners became homeless, through job loss, domestic violence, or other reasons.  How does Pets of the Homeless help?

First, they have an online list of places that provide pet food--and not all of them are animal food banks.  Some are shelters, some are religious organizations.  Another is a list of pet-friendly homeless shelters--ones that allow pets to stay.  It's a tiny list.  They have yet another list of different types of help, from spay/neutering and veterinary care.  And check out this list of events around the country to help with pet care.

Finally, don't miss our previous roundup of veterinary and food help for pets.

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.