PETS NEED VETS
The Fairbanks Senior Center launched the Pets Need Vets program in 2022 with generous support from Meals on Wheels America and PetSmart Charities. That inaugural year laid the foundation for a program built on learning, growth, and long-term sustainability, ensuring that seniors in our community would never have to choose between their own needs and the well-being of their beloved pets.
Since then, funding from Meals on Wheels America, private donors, and community fundraising has made it possible for older adults aged 60 and above to access essential veterinary care. From FY23 through FY25, the Pets Need Vets program supported 85 seniors, providing care for 98 pets, covering 125 veterinary visits, and completing 265 procedures. These services included wellness exams, vaccines and rabies shots, medications, emergency food, grooming, dental care, blood work, limited emergency visits, and transportation assistance.
In FY26, thanks to continued support from Meals on Wheels America, the Latter-day Saint “Light the World” Giving Machine, and the generosity of individual donors, the program has expanded its reach even further. So far this year, Pets Need Vets has assisted 70 seniors, cared for 143 pets, and supported 98 veterinary visits—a record level of impact for our community.
The program provides up to $300 per pet, per veterinary visit, serving seniors with annual incomes of $40,000 or below. Our primary focus is preventative care, helping pets stay healthy so their owners can continue aging safely and independently at home. For many older adults, pets are more than companions—they are sources of comfort, joy, routine, and emotional stability. By easing the financial burden of veterinary care, the Pets Need Vets program helps preserve these vital bonds and brings peace of mind to seniors living on fixed incomes, while also providing a space they call home where they live independently with their beloved pet.
Together, we are keeping families together—one senior, one pet, one act of kindness at a time.
PETS NEED VETS GRANT AWARD 2025
Fairbanks Senior Center to Be awarded full grant funding for a fourth year in a row by Meals on Wheels America Loves Pets Grant for veterinary cost to support seniors and their beloved fur babies with funds and access to veterinary care
Continued support has helped expand the Pets Need Vets program to cover other necessary pet costs!
[Fairbanks, Alaska] (August 1, 2025) – The North Star Council on Aging a/k/a Fairbanks Senior Center is excited to announce today that the Pets Need Vets program that helps support senior pet owners in need with costs related to their pets’ veterinary care, has been awarded a generous grant from Meals on Wheels America for the 4th year in a row. We all know that pet ownership has well-documented social, emotional, and health benefits, especially for seniors who are home-bound and who are low income. Unfortunately, with the cost of housing, heat, gas, and grocery price increases, as well as other complicating factors, makes it difficult for Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) seniors to provide adequate veterinary care for their beloved fur babies. With the funding from Meals on Wheels America, the Pets Need Vets program has grown and has been able to address the needs of our seniors’ pets within the community.
“We are grateful to receive another year of funding to support our local seniors and their pets,” states Darlene Supplee, Executive Director of the Fairbanks Senior Center, “There is nothing like the love from a pet to help remind our seniors they are important and matter. Please help us celebrate another year of our Pets Need Vets program!”
Four years ago, as part of an ongoing effort to increase seniors’ access to crucial veterinary care, Meals on Wheels America created the Access to Veterinary Care Grant which is now called Meals on Wheels Loves Pets Grant. This grant has been available to our seniors 60 years and older to provide funding for local veterinary cost support programs. The Fairbanks Senior Center is honored to have been chosen for the 4th year to receive generous funding to build capacity within the Pets Need Vets program. Low-income FNSB seniors, aged 60 and older, will be eligible to request financial support in seeking preventative and reactive veterinary care through Veterinary Animal Clinics partnered with the program.
With community support in the form of monetary or in-kind donations, FSC intends to extend the program to provide for other essential costs such as specialized food, necessary grooming, and nail clipping. Any businesses or individuals providing pet services interested in increasing access to seniors in need are welcome to inquire about getting involved in the program. For community members wishing to donate to help make additional pet support a reality, visit fairbanksseniorcenter.org or call the Pets Need Vets Program Coordinator, Shawna Chastain at (907) 452 – 2574 for more information.
Fairbanks Senior Center to start new veterinary cost support program with funds awarded through
Meals on Wheels America Loves Pets Regional Cohort Grant Awards Program Support will help expand program to cover other necessary pet costs!
