The Problem
When studying at my local public library, I found detailed community resource information for people in need: food pantries, housing support, & health services but nothing for animals and humans taking care of them. I asked the librarians and they said they had never seen an animal resource guide and would add one if it existed. In my neighborhood I regularly see unhoused neighbors living in vehicles and on the street with dogs and cats who depend on them. Animals and their humans, including low-income families and neighbors with limited English, deserve to find animal welfare resources in the same public spaces where other community resources already live.
Our Plan
I will design and distribute a bilingual double-sided postcard connecting pet owners in my community to resources that already exist but are not reaching the people who need them most. Resources will include pet food pantries, mobile vet clinics, emergency cooling shelters, seasonal heat and wildfire smoke safety tips, and ways for neighbors to donate supplies or time. Before I finalize the content, I will talk with staff at the animal shelter where I volunteer, the dog daycare where I intern, and the county pet business inspectors during my summer job shadow, asking them what their clients most often need and can't find. I will then distribute the postcard at shelters, daycares, libraries, dog parks, and community boards across the community, targeting at least 12 locations by end of summer.
