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Directors Comments: 
Hello Valuable Community Members!!!
I am going to discuss a topic that many of us find challenging to prepare for: our end-of-life. I am in my 13th year as your Executive Director and have witnessed many things during this time. Just recently, we helped a lovely family who lived in the lower 48 deal with the loss of their father, who lived here in Fairbanks. Their Dad, a Meals on Wheels client, lived by himself. On a Monday, when our Meals on Wheels driver went to deliver his meal, we knew something was wrong. We attempted to contact the hospital to see if the client was there, called the police to conduct a wellness check, and contacted the family to express our concerns. The police, unless they see something is wrong through a window, cannot enter a home, which left us and the family unable to get into the house. The daughter planned with Bob to send up a key from the lower 48 so the police could enter her Dad’s home to finish the wellness check. On Friday, four days later, the key arrived, and Bob met the police at the client’s home to give them the key for entry. Our Meals on Wheels client and community member had passed away in his chair, but it took 5 days to confirm that.
PLEASE, if you live alone and have no family nearby, please make sure someone you trust has a key to enter your home. What if the gentleman had fallen and lain on the floor for a whole week before we could get into his home! What if he had fallen in the shower and could not get out! These are real-life events that your Senior Center sees every day. No one ever believes it will happen to them, but it can, and it will.
To be proactive, do the following:
1) Give your key to a loved one, neighbor, or trusted friend (or tell them where you hid a spare key) to give access in case of an emergency,
2) keep a phone number on the refrigerator of a person to contact if there is an emergency. These simple but essential steps help everyone live safely at home. Which I know, every one of you wants to do.
Everyone, take good care of yourselves and the ones that you love.
Darlene Supplee Executive Director 907-452-1735
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fairbanks Senior Center Launches 2026 “Pets Need Love Too” Campaign to Support Veterinary Care for Seniors’ Pets
Campaign support will ensure seniors can spend their final years with healthy, well-cared-for pets, covering essential veterinary needs and the costs that keep these cherished companions by their side!
[Fairbanks, Alaska] (April 1st, 2026) – The Fairbanks Senior Center has launched its 2026 “Pets Need Love Too” Campaign, an effort to raise $25,000 to continue providing essential veterinary care for the pets of low-income seniors in the Fairbanks community.
For many older adults, pets are more than companions. They provide comfort, emotional support, and a sense of daily purpose. The Pets Need Vets Program has served as a lifeline for seniors who struggle to afford veterinary care for the animals they love. Through previous grant funding, hundreds of pets have received critical services, including wellness exams, vaccines, medications, emergency treatments, and pet food.
Despite the program’s success, the needs of seniors’ pets are now outpacing the resources available to support them. Many older adults are still struggling to secure even the most basic veterinary care for their companions. Since FY2023, the Pets Need Vets Program has assisted 241 pets, yet demand continues to grow. We now have a waitlist of 20 pets, all of whom need wellness exams, updated vaccines, and rabies shots. This reminds us that without additional community support, too many seniors must delay essential care for the animals who mean everything to them. Without renewed support from the community, many seniors may face heartbreaking decisions about how to care for their pets. To keep this vital service alive, we need your help.
“The bond between seniors and their pets is incredibly powerful,” said the Pets Need Vets Program Coordinator, Shawna Chastain, from the Fairbanks Senior Center. “These animals provide companionship, reduce loneliness, and improve overall well-being. This campaign is about protecting that bond and ensuring seniors don’t have to choose between their own basic needs and the health of their pets.”
Funds raised through the campaign will help provide:
- Veterinary exams and wellness checks
- Vaccines and preventative care
- Medications and urgent treatments
- Peace of mind for vulnerable seniors who rely on their pets for companionship
- Support so seniors don’t have to sacrifice rent, food, or groceries to care for their animals
Every donation directly helps keep seniors and their pets healthy, together, and at home.
Community members are encouraged to donate, share the campaign, and help spread awareness using the hashtags #2026petsneedlovetoofbx.
About the Fairbanks Senior Center’s Pets Need Vets Program
The Fairbanks Senior Center’s Pets Need Vets program, launched in FY2023 with support from Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities, continues to expand its impact for older adults and their companion animals. Through funding from Meals on Wheels America, the Latter-day Saint “Light the World” Giving Machine, and generous private donors, the program provides essential veterinary care for low-income seniors age 60 and older.
From FY23 to FY25, Pets Need Vets supported 85 seniors, 98 pets, and 125 veterinary visits, resulting in 265 completed procedures ranging from wellness checks and vaccines to dental care, medications, grooming, and limited emergency services. In FY26, the program has already assisted 70 seniors, 143 pets, and 98 vet visits, marking its strongest year yet.
With a cap of $300 per pet, per vet visit, the program focuses on preventative care that helps seniors safely age in place with the pets who bring them comfort, companionship, and stability. Pets Need Vets ensures that financial barriers never stand between older adults and the well-being of their beloved animals.
Help us honor and uplift the cherished pets of our community’s elders this April by joining the 2026 Pets Need Love Too Campaign. Your support empowers seniors to age safely and joyfully at home, with the furry companions who bring them comfort, purpose, and unconditional love. Through your financial gifts, we can provide essential pet food, supplies, and medications—relieving the financial strain so no senior has to choose between their own needs and the well-being of their beloved animal. Your generosity ensures that both seniors and their faithful companions can enjoy healthier, happier lives together, right where they belong.
Donations can be made online at:
https://fairbanksseniorcenter.networkforgood.com/admin/projects/296923-2026-pets-need-love-too-campaign
Additional information about the program is available at:
https://fairbanksseniorcenter.org/programs-services/pet-need-love-too/
Pets Need Vets Contact:
Fairbanks Senior Center
Pets Need Vets Program Coordinator, Shawna Chastain
1424 Moore Street
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Direct Phone: (907) 452-2574
Main: (907) 452-1735
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairbanksSeniorCenter
WE MAY BE APART, BUT WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER
Here are some reminders and updates. Please read them carefully.
We can get through this together!!
Not “Stuck at Home,” but “SAFE AT HOME”
