NEW YORK, April 18, 2023 – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY debuted its first Spanish-language promotional video this month, building even more connections within the Spanish-speaking community in New York City.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, PAWS NY helps older adults and individuals living with illness or disability take care of their pets, by providing volunteers to help with daily pet care needs, coordinating veterinary care, managing a Pet Pantry, and facilitating foster and emergency care when New Yorkers are hospitalized and need someone to care for their pets. Thanks to dedicated bilingual staff members, the organization has been able to provide services to more Spanish-speaking New Yorkers in recent years. As a response, PAWS NY has increased its outreach in the community as well, working to find both individuals in need of support and Spanish-speaking volunteers to provide services.

“Our amazing Bilingual Program Manager Victoria Leon has been instrumental in helping us connect with more New Yorkers, especially those for whom Spanish is their first language,” said Rachel Herman, the Founder and Executive Director of PAWS NY. “We provide information about our programs and services in Spanish on our website (www.pawsny.org/espanol) and via printed materials, and this video is the latest project that supports our goal of being more inclusive and accessible to all New Yorkers.”

The video, which can be found on the PAWS NY YouTube channel, was created by George Irizarry of Cosmo Street Editorial and features video footage by Levi Barrie, photography by David Andrako, and voiceover work by Victoria Leon.

PAWS NY has also submitted the project to the 2023 Maddie’s Fund Open Arms Challenge. This annual program within the animal welfare space encourages related organizations to pilot new approaches that open doors to new clients, adopters, community members, and volunteers, leveraging our resources to welcome the entire community and make animal welfare inclusive and accessible to all.

“New Yorkers speak more than 200 languages, according to nyc.gov, and we are hopeful that PAWS NY will one day be able to provide services in many different languages,” Herman said. “For now, we are thrilled to provide robust support to those who speak English and Spanish—two of the top languages in NYC—and this video provides one more piece of that puzzle with regards to that outreach.”

If you’d like to learn more about PAWS NY or sign up to volunteer, please visit our website at www.pawsny.org or www.pawsny.org/espanol.

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About PAWS NY

The mission of PAWS NY is to help New York City’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs and services through a community of partners and volunteers. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

Related Links:
http://www.pawsny.org
http://www.pawsny.org/espanol
https://youtu.be/x9FSsreVnDA

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Contact:

Kimberly Green
(o): 212-203-4760, x304
(e): Kimberly.Green@pawsny.org

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We consistently appreciate the support and dedication of the amazing PAWS NY community. Your steadfast commitment to our work has helped us to successfully navigate the turmoil brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is inspiring to work alongside you as we strive to help people and their beloved animal companions remain together as families.

The highlight of the year was the reopening of the PAWS NY Housecall Program, which had been suspended for 18 months. This phased reopening of our cornerstone program began in September 2021, and we implemented new protocols to ensure the safety of all our clients and volunteers. Our team worked diligently throughout the year to bring PAWS NY and our fantastic volunteers back into the homes of those we serve. We are so proud of our staff, clients, and volunteers for helping to ensure this challenging implementation was such a success.

Another accomplishment was the return to an in-person Spring Benefit. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to come together in person with friends for the first time in more than three years. As we celebrated together with the beautiful NYC skyline as our backdrop, PAWS NY experienced a record-breaking fundraising event, helping us continue to serve New Yorkers and their pets as we move into 2023 and beyond.

On behalf of the staff and board at PAWS NY, we thank each and every one of you for your support and partnership. None of our work would be possible without you and our incredible network, and we are proud of all that has been achieved. You inspire us every day!

Click here to read the full Annual Report.

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Thank you to everyone who has continued to support PAWS NY during this unusual time!

PAWS NY’s Clients & Pets

PAWS NY has stayed in close contact with all 100 clients during this time, making sure they are still able to care for their pets and have all the food and supplies they need. We are providing 100% of all pet food and supply needs for our clients’ pets for the entirety of this situation. We do not want clients leaving their homes and increasing the risk of exposure to secure supplies for their pets.

Lastly, PAWS NY volunteers have continued to stay in touch with their clients via phone, text messages, or mailed letters. One supporter wrote and mailed letters to all of the PAWS clients, while other volunteers have sent small gifts. One package was a special NYC pizza delivery! Follow us on social media for more updates like these: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

For clients who have been unable to care for their pets without PAWS NY’s ongoing in-home support or have had non-COVID-related health issues, we have also managed foster care situations for 11 pets during this time for a total of 443 days of foster care.

Additionally, the PAWS NY program team has coordinated emergency vet care for clients as needed during the pandemic. As the city starts to re-open, we are now coordinating wellness and vaccine appointments as well.

Our team communicates with volunteers each week to hear heartwarming stories of how they’ve been connecting with clients during this time.

Citywide COVID-19 Response

Responding to the needs of the city’s pets during the COVID-19 crisis has been a citywide collaboration. PAWS has played a role in the New York City Animal Planning Task Force during this time. This group set up the NYC COVID-19 Pet Hotline to provide pet-related services to New Yorkers affected by COVID-19. This initiative has been covered my several major media outlets, including The New York Times, ABC-7, Time Out NY, and Telemundo, among others.

Please note: As of September 22, 2020, the NYC COVID-19 Pet Hotline has had significant reach, impacting over 17,000 animals since it began on April 20, 2020. As time has progressed, the volume of need, specifically, COVID-related need, has declined. As a result, the NYC COVID-19 Pet Hotline will sunset as planned on September 30, 2020.

We’ve also helped distribute information about emergency preparedness, pets and COVID-19, and other citywide initiatives as needed.

Virtual Volunteer Orientations

PAWS NY is hopeful we will soon be able to get back out to visiting our clients in their homes and helping care for their pets. To that end, we introduced Virtual Volunteer Orientations to train more volunteers who can help our clients and pets soon! As of July 1, PAWS has hosted four Virtual Volunteer Orientations and trained 49 volunteers.

Ongoing Operations, Fundraising, and Events

PAWS NY continues to regularly communicate with our supporters and stakeholders through email communication and social media outreach. The team has also coordinated several online fundraising campaigns and events, including a major Online Spring Campaign in lieu of our annual in-person Spring Benefit; virtual fundraisers such as a Dance Class and Trivia Night; and give back partnerships with brands like gorjana and Chewy.

Do you have additional questions about our COVID-19 Update? Email us!

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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, PAWS NY has been working tirelessly to provide pet food deliveries, as well as emergency vet care and foster services, to our clients across New York City. PAWS is not just continuing with these services, but  increasing support during this crisis. 

Dolly and Max are two loveable pups that call Sara their dog-mom! Sara is 82 years old and has been a client with PAWS NY for a few years. She faces multiple health challenges that make it hard for her to get out, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During the crisis, we’ve been able to cover the cost of food for her dogs so she doesn’t have to leave the apartment, which has been a HUGE help.

“I’m so nervous about going outside now and it’s hard for me to carry their food multiple blocks. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Sara is just one of PAWS NY’s many clients who are receiving pet food deliveries and other support during this crisis. Donate today to help us continue this support now and in the future.

Donate to PAWS NY!
We’re collecting donations to support our work to help vulnerable New Yorkers and their pets during this unprecedented time and beyond. Click here to donate!

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See below for a message from PAWS NY regarding the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. The safety of our clients and volunteers is of paramount importance to us.

What PAWS NY is Doing

No one in our community has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Effective today, we are suspending Housecall visits to all clients. Please know that this was not an easy decision. Unfortunately, the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is too great for our high-risk client base.

For our Volunteers: You should stop visiting your client(s). If you are willing and able, checking in on them via phone is highly encouraged. Clients’ isolation will be felt keenly during this difficult time, and we know how much they value their relationship with you.

PAWS NY will be shipping wee-wee pads to all clients to help while Housecall visits are suspended. We increased pet food deliveries last week and also plan to have pet food and litter shipped directly to clients in the next week.

Our team has suspended any new in-person intakes and cancelled this week’s volunteer orientation. We are looking into the possibility of virtual trainings on a temporary basis moving forward.

Staff called all active clients today to speak to them directly about the following:

• Let them know that we are suspending services, specifically because their health and care is our priority.
• Ask how they are feeling and determine whether they have any unmet needs unrelated to pet care, and if so, provide relevant resources.

An e-newsletter will go out updating supporters on how we are handling this situation, as well.

What Experts Tell Us about the Virus

Symptoms of COVID-19 commonly include fever, cough, sore throat, or shortness of breath. Most people with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms and fully recover without complications. Less commonly, COVID-19 may lead to pneumonia, hospitalization or death.

People who are at most risk for severe illness are older adults or those who have chronic health conditions, such as lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a weakened immune system.

The following is the updated guidance from the NYC Department of Health website:

• Stay home. All New Yorkers — healthy or sick — need to stay home. You should only leave your home for essential tasks, such as work (if you cannot work from home), getting groceries and supplies or essential medical care. Try to use delivery services when possible.
• Wash your hands with soap and water often, for at least 20 seconds every time, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Do not touch your face unless you recently washed your hands.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing. Do not use your hands.
• Do not shake hands. Instead, wave or elbow bump.
• If you are an older adult or have any of the chronic health conditions listed above, avoid all unnecessary gatherings and events.  

How We Can Stay Informed

• World Health Organization website
• NYC Department of Health website
• CDC website

Here at PAWS NY, we are so grateful to all of our volunteers for their dedication, patience, and kindness as we work our way through this together. We hope the above information is helpful in increasing knowledge and reducing anxiety to some degree.

It was incredibly difficult for us to come to the decision to suspend Housecall services. We do not take the decision lightly, and greatly look forward to resuming services as soon as possible. Policies and recommendations will inevitably change as the situation unfolds. We will stay in touch regularly to keep you apprised of further changes. As we make our way through the weeks ahead, it’s important to remain informed and support one another.

Please reach out to the staff at PAWS NY if we can help you in any way.

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