Stepping up for animals in Ukraine

Point Isabel Dog Owners & Friends put out the word that we would dedicate 100 percent of donations at our March 20 Point Isabel park cleanup to groups helping animals in Ukraine. In just two hours that day, people at Point Isabel stuffed our donation jar with $961. More money poured in over the next week via PayPal and checks for a total amount collected of more than $6,500.

We passed every cent right on. We wired $1,000 each to Saved by the Vet (a Romanian organization helping refugees and pets as they cross the border); Shelter Ugolyok (rescues pets and farm animals); Network for Animals (in the UK and US, partnering with local groups to bring food and medicine in and evacuate pets out); and International Fund for Animal Welfare (partnering with shelters, helping zoo animals and a bear sanctuary, providing pet food and vet supplies). We sent the remaining $2,583 to UAnimals, which supports rescues across Ukraine.

Three of the organizations above are not US nonprofits. You can continue to give to them using PayPal (or sometimes Patreon), as PIDO did during our fundraiser. Your donation won’t be tax-deductible but at least PayPal has been waiving fees for donations to Ukraine.

You can also make tax-deductible contributions to many US-based nonprofits that have pledged to help animals in Ukraine, including Greater Good Charities and the American Medical Veterinary Foundation.