Volunteers lend a paw for Zachary’s founder
Fostering group has raised a third of its $10,000 goal needed to keep afloat for the next few months
After the founder of Hamiltonbased non-profit Zachary’s Paws for Healing (ZPFH) was diagnosed with lung cancer, the organization’s volunteers stepped up, launching a fundraiser to support the pets in foster care.
“I had no idea they were doing it,” said Donna Jenkins, founder and chief fundraiser at ZPFH. “I think that was their hope, that they could raise enough until I could get out there.”
Jenkins was diagnosed with lung cancer in March, and underwent surgery a few weeks ago. She found out last Wednesday that she is cancer-free, but still has a long road to recovery.
“(The volunteers) took it upon themselves to do this, knowing that I would be recuperating for the next two or three months,” she said.
The Hamilton-based organization offers a foster care service for hospitalized pet owners who are unable to care for their pets, and arranges pet visits with hospitalized owners. Currently,
ZPFH has 14 pets in foster care. They are also providing pet food and other animal care to those who can no longer afford to feed their pets due to COVID-19.
“Every penny goes to assist our clients,” Jenkins said. “We don’t have anybody on a payroll.”
Jenkins said the pandemic has dried up some of the organization’s revenue streams. ZPFH is closing its Concession Street office, which they opened just a few months ago, in order to cut back on overhead costs.
“It’s better for us to take that money that we would spend in rent and utilities to serve our clients,” she said. “We don’t want any of our clients to suffer due to this.”
Karen Harkness, who volunteers twice a week with her dog, Lexi, visiting patients at St. Joseph’s West 5th, is one of the volunteers who decided to take the lead on fundraising in Jenkins’ absence.
“We were so devastated by the news that this had happened and she was having her surgery in a couple of days,” she said. “And we were scrambling to find a way to help.”
The volunteers tried their luck with GoFundMe, but after some technical issues began to direct people to the existing fundraising page. To date, ZPFH has raised about $3,500 of its $10,000 fundraising goal, which would sustain the organization for three to four months. It costs between $225 and $300 a month to keep a pet in foster care.
“We just wanted to help our organization,” Harkness said. “We don’t want to see it go under, or not being able to help the people that are currently in hospital whose pets we’re caring for.”