The Day You Joined Us to Take a Stand: Today, #GivingTuesday 2019

By Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic

#GivingTuesday is December 3, 2019:

Imagine a forever home for every pet...because of YOU.

Just imagine, a world with a forever home for every dog and cat.

That reality starts with accessible, affordable spay/neuter services for every pet, every family, every community…and you.

Our goal is to end pet overpopulation – and it starts here, at Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic.

Charity gives you the opportunity to invest in your values – in an increasingly divided world, join the movement to end pet homelessness and advocate for homeless pets that are often overlooked, and in some instances, looked down upon.

Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, has a long-term strategic plan to end pet overpopulation that is going to be the future of animal advocacy. Our organization is actively, humanely reducing the number of homeless animals by offering low-cost spay/neuter services for both companion and free-roaming animals and then supplementing with preventative programming through the Pets for Life program to keep companion pets in their homes long-term.

Just imagine – a loving family for every cat, for every dog…Because of you.

Donate today – and watch the world change around you.

Yes! I want to join the movement to end pet homelessness!

#GivingTuesday is December 3, 2019, and runs for 24 hours, beginning at midnight local time! Get ready and get inspired for the annual global celebration that allows EVERYONE to invest in their values!

At Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic, #GivingTuesday will launch our 2019 end-of-year giving campaign with a fundraising goal of $25,000 with a mission to end pet homelessness! End-of-year giving is a wonderful way to kick off the holiday giving season and inspires people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to charity and the causes they support. Nonprofit organizations, like Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic, wouldn’t exist without donations and support from the public.

Giving Tuesday isn’t just about fundraising – it’s about communities coming together giving their time, skills, expertise, and resources to a cause they feel passionate about. In an increasingly divided world, #GivingTuesday represents a new global tradition based on joy, hope, and inspiration.

Every act of generosity counts – and each means even more when we all give together! We all have something to offer – you can give time or expertise, monetary donations large or small, or even a simple act of kindness.

What are the different ways I can I support Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic for #GivingTuesday and their end of year giving campaign?

Click here to learn more about #GivingTuesday!

Amelia, Jerry, & The Gift: A Pets for Life Story

*Based on a true story, names have been changed to protect client and patient privacy

By Erin L. Pollander, Director of Philanthropy

of Nutmeg Spay/Neuter Clinic

Co-Written and Edited by Noél A. Senna,

Author, Donor

It was 45 minutes after office hours on an unusually cold autumn day. Jerry sat beside me with an expectant look that only cats can give as they wait for their mothers. He had been neutered earlier that day and, while I enjoyed her company, I know home was where he’d like to be. I picked up the phone to dial out to his mother, a new Pets for Life client, when the door suddenly opened and a flustered woman came barreling into the waiting room.

I smiled, trying to soothe the woman’s nerves. “Picking up Jerry?” I asked.

“Yes!” she blurted with a nervous voice. Her cheeks and nose were still bright red from coming in from the cold, windy weather.

I nodded and smiled. “So glad you made it,” I said. I could see the woman’s nerves settling. To help her know what to expect after Jerry’s surgery, I explained that she and I would watch a short video that would give her all the answers she needs.

I pressed play, but I could sense she was worried about something. With a suddenness I had not expected, she apologetically explained: “You're so incredibly kind, and here I am, 45 minutes late! I am so embarrassed. I am so sorry. I had to take the bus here, and I missed the first one. I can’t tell you how sorry I am to hold you up!”

I could hardly believe how sorry she was. I immediately assured her that it was no issue at all. I truly meant it. I could remember clearly the times I was in the same boat. The bus was my sole means of traveling until I was 25 years old and finally got my license. I sympathized with her more than she knew. She was a mature woman with an honest, contagious smile and a lively, youthful presence.

My reassurance seemed to calm her, and we continued to watch the video. After, she thanked me again and took a pillowcase out of her purse. She must have seen the confusion on my face, and she explained, “I have to put Jerry in here to carry him on the bus.” She seemed embarrassed again and explained further. “It’s so I don’t upset the other riders. It’s my fault. I couldn’t afford the cab fare.”

My heart sank. Remembering the restrictions of public transportation, I could relate. I immediately thought of the many times I had to take my sick cat to the vet before my license, walking long roads in bad weather. It’s easy to take a car for granted when we are used to the simple luxuries of life. But for those who live without, the most simple tasks can be troublesome.

I knew without question that this woman could use a little help. And I knew how I could offer it. “How bout I take you and Jerry home tonight?” I asked warmly.

And that’s how I met Amelia and Jerry.

I pulled my car up to the curb and helped Jerry and Amelia settle in for a much easier ride back to our Pets-for-Life focus area of downtown Bridgeport. As easier as the car was than the bus, we still found traffic terrible. Honking, congestion, yelling; a typical evening commute in rural Connecticut. But Amelia and I simply passed the time talking about our pets, our past, and our hopes for the future. And I couldn’t help but smile when Amelia told me, “Ever since I was a young girl, I would close my eyes and see felines.”

Amelia told me that things weren’t always this difficult as they are now. She used to have a family, a job, a car, and a home. She reluctantly confessed how she now felt like a burden to others and how much she missed her independence. I assured her that any one of us could fall on hard times, and it was certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

I peered in at Jerry as we sat in Bridgeport traffic. Purring softly, his eyes slowly blinking showing us how comfortable he felt, almost agreeing with everything Amelia was telling me. As we drove on, we passed by dozens of abandoned buildings defaced with graffiti and broken glass, pedestrians and stray animals weaving in and out between cars, waiting in traffic, paying little attention to the road. The city was alive with police sirens, cars honking, music blaring, and people yelling. Hardly the type of community you would imagine when you think of retirement.

“But today,” Amelia proclaimed with a clashingly joyful tone, “Today is different. You have reminded me that karma does exist. And we have had the good fortune to exchange gifts.” I felt a warmth in her words. She continued, “You have done this incredibly kind deed of taking me home, and to do a kind deed for another is certainly a gift. And now I receive the gift of paying it forward!”

How beautiful, I thought. My heart swelled, and I sat up straight in the driver’s seat – Amelia was right; this was a gift, for both of us.

As I dropped off Amelia and Jerry at home, I gave her my business card and told me to call me directly when she needs to get her other two cats spayed, and I’d be more than happy to pick them up and drop them off the day of their appointment. I gave Amelia a hug, said my well-wishes to Jerry, and got back into my car. As I pulled away from the curb, Amelia and I both smiling and waving, both a little teary-eyed – I couldn’t help but think back to a quote I heard recently:

Social activist Bryan Stevenson said, “The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.” If we have the means and the opportunity to help another, we not only have the obligation but the privilege to do so.

Because you care about helping people in your community that are often overlooked, and in some instances, looked down upon.

Because every time you look into your pet’s eyes, you think of all the homeless animals still dreaming of their forever home.

Because you know there are simply not enough adoptive homes, and something has to be done about the ever-growing pet overpopulation issue.

Because you can imagine a world with a forever home for every pet – and you know it starts with accessible, affordable spay/neuter services for every pet, every family, in every community.

Because donating to charity gives you an opportunity to invest in your values.

No matter what your reason -- Donate Today – and in a world that is hungry for kindness -- give the gift of paying it forward.

Yes! I want to join the movement to end pet homelessness!