2,000+ SoCal Families Received Free Services for their Pets in 2022 Thanks to the Better Neighbor Project

What began as a project launched in 2020 by Michelson Found Animals to support underserved communities and their pets has now, two years later, grown into a significant community resource in Southern California. The Better Neighbor Project (BNP) has helped thousands of families by providing free pet food, veterinary care, pet wellness, grooming & teeth brushing, spay/neuter services, microchip registry, and pet supplies. The program also often provides human-centered resources at events such as Covid vaccines and access to technology and internet services. 

These much-needed services are possible thanks to the support of local animal and human service organizations and elected officials across the city, district, and state levels. BNP is proud to partner with fellow animal and human welfare advocates in the community to bring resources that help keep people and pets together.

BNP’s events happen weekly and monthly across Southern California. This year there were 10 Pet Wellness Day events held. Locations included East Los Angeles, Pacoima, Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Paramount, Burbank, and Inglewood, California. BNP also provides a free weekly pet food pantry in several locations in the Los Angeles area. To see a full list of events and locations visit foundanimals.org/better-neighbor-project-original/calendar-of-events/.

Since 2020 BNP has: 

• Provided 3,777 families services through Pet Pantry and Pet Wellness Day events 
• Provided wellness and hygiene services for 6,362 pets 
• 275,000 lbs of pet food provided for free
• Total number of pets served: 84,067

In 2022 alone, BNP has:

• Provided 2,252 families services through Pet Pantry and Pet Wellness Day events
• Provided wellness and hygiene services for 3,372 pets 
• 117,052 lbs of pet food provided for free
• Total number of pets served: 35,011

All of this incredible work could not have been accomplished without the kindness and support of our partners. We want to thank everyone that participated in our events this year. Thank you to:

98.6 Pharmacy, Alma Family Services, American College of Healthcare & Technology, Anderson Munger YMCA, Assembly Member Isaac Bryan, Assembly Member Miguel Santiago, Benjamin Franklin Branch Library, Better Together Forever, Blockhead Brigade, Brentwood School , Burbank Animal Shelter, Burbank Parks & Recreation, Camp Clinics LA, Chewy, Chirp LA, Core Los Angeles, East Los Angeles Civic Center, East Los Angeles Library, El Centro De Ayuda, EveryoneOn, Fix Nation, Furtown Pet Spa, Greater Good Charities, Grid Alternatives, H.E.A.R.T. LA,  Ice Cream Pups, Impacts Dog Training, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Kitty Bungalow, LA Animal Services, LACI, LARPO, Latino Alliance for Animal Care Coalition, LA Works, Liberty Employement Services, Little Angels Project, Little Lion Foundation, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles County Animal Care & Control, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles County Department of Social Services, Los Angeles County Fire Department, MEND Urgent Care, Michelson Institute for Pet Professions, More Than a Bath, Morningside High School, Pacoima Beautiful,  Paramount Care Foundation, Paws LA, Pet Assistance, Plaza de la Raza, Purrrfect Pets Grooming, Queens Care, Red Cross, SCDC – Southeast Community Development Corporation, SEACCA, Senator Anthony Portantino, Senator Bob Hertzberg, Senator Maria Elena Durazo, Shelter Me TV, Spay-4-LA, Stinky Tails, Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, TEEF, Total Makeover, The Rescue Train, Up Dog LA, Wash My Dog, Wallis Annenberg Petspace, Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA, West Coast Grooming Academy, West LA VA, Wilshire Presbyterian Church

One partner that significantly stood out this year was Greater Good Charities. They donated various pet supplies from Chewy to BNP (including over 20,000 lbs of dry pet food!), which continues to be used to give families free supplies for their pets that they might not have had access to otherwise. Some of the wonderful organizations that received supplies thanks to this donation included: 

Angel City Pit Bulls, Westside German Shephard Rescue, Stray Cat Alliance, Kitty Bungalow, Little Lion Foundation, Lost & Found Rescue, Desert Dames Rescue, Department of Animal Care & Control North County, South LA Shelter/Chesterfield Square Animal Shelter, Operation Blankets of Love, Barrio Action Youth & Family Center, Connecting Compton, and a preschool for their classroom rabbits.

Want to partner with us and help bring more resources to the community? Email info@betterneighbor.org

We also want to thank the people that individually make all of this happen. Thank you to the BNP staff and volunteers who work hard every day to make sure all our events are a success.

Want to volunteer with The Better Neighbor Project? Visit foundanimals.org/volunteer/ to learn more and apply.

So what’s next for BNP?

“In 2023 our goal is to reach more communities than ever before. We will continue our signature pet wellness events in hopes of expanding to areas that haven’t been reached yet and grow our partnerships to provide even more needed resources to families. We’ll also continue our weekly pet pantries to make sure people are getting the food for their pets that they need.” – Brett Yates, CEO of Michelson Found Animals Foundation

To learn more about The Better Neighbor Project, visit foundanimals.org/better-neighbor-project/.