Brandywine Valley SPCA gets $1.5M grant to save pet lives

The Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) has received a $1.5 million grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love in support of their lifesaving work for animals in Delaware and Pennsylvania. It s the single largest grant received in BVSPCA history and is among the largest grants awarded by Petco Love.

One million dollars of the grant will be applied to the BVSPCA’s new campus in New Castle, Delaware. The new campus, expected to open in late summer of this year, expands a former veterinary specialty center with a new shelter to form a nearly 20,000 square foot animal welfare center. The new center will feature the first shelter Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the region, it will double the organization’s capacity to provide low-cost veterinary care to family pets, and it will enhance shelter pet housing with features like outdoor catios, indoor/outdoor dog kennels, and outdoor dog play yards.

The remaining $500,000 will be applied to lifesaving programs, including the BVSPCA’s Mega Adoption Events. These events place over 1,000 animals with families in a large-scale, two-day event. The events started in 2017 as a result of the BVSPCA-Petco Love partnership, and there have been nine Megas to date. This year the Brandywine Valley SPCA will be returning to its large-scale Mega format December 10-11 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington. Meanwhile, the BVSPCA will hold an in-shelter Mega Adoption Event on June 2526 at all of its campuses across Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Petco Love is a national nonprofit leading change for pets by harnessing the power of love to make communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love has invested $330 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. And Petco Love helps find loving homes for pets in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 organizations across North America, with 6.5 million pets adopted and counting.

“Brandywine Valley SPCA is an amazing organization. While so many others had to close during the pandemic or had limited operations, Brandywine kept going strong helping animals in their area and from surrounding areas — even down from Louisiana. They consistently are an animal welfare leader in helping pets and communities. We are so proud to support their tireless efforts to help pets in need,” said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love.

The investment in Brandywine Valley SPCA is part of more than $15M in investments recently announced by Petco Love to power local organizations across the country as part of its commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessary euthanized. Petco Love recently celebrated the one-year launch anniversary of Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database that uses pet facial recognition technology to simplify the search for lost pets.

“Our partnership with Petco Love demonstrates the best of what can happen at the intersection of business and non-profit,” said Adam Lamb, BVSPCA Chief Executive Officer. “Petco Love has been an essential partner in our transformative impact on sheltering in Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. We appreciate the animal advocates at Petco Love and the incredible work of the Petco Pet Care Centers to raise the funds for lifesaving work at organizations like ours. Every cent donated at checkout truly saves lives.”

The celebration at the Christiana Petco store will include Brandywine Valley SPCA staff and volunteers, Petco and Petco Love staff, and several community leaders, including Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Senator Nicole Poore, and County Executive Matt Meyer.

SUBMITTED PHOTO A volunteer gives some lovin’ to Gary at the Brandywine Valley SPCA.