10 Years: A Letter from Our Executive Director

MN SNAP is celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. Thanks to 10 years of hard work and community support, MN SNAP has provided more than 147,000 surgeries to pets in need across Minnesota. We’re proud, and we’re grateful. In 10 years, we’ve saved low-income families $43.5 million through affordable and accessible spay and neuter services; and shelters and rescues have been able to reinvest $14.5 million to do what they do best — find forever homes for homeless pets.

It took a global pandemic to reveal how much Minnesota pets and their people depend on MN SNAP. Only 100 days ago, our staff were placed on furlough after the Governor’s order ending nonessential surgeries. In that short and sad time, more than 145,000 people in the U.S. lost their lives to the virus — a hard number for the heart to hold. We’ve heard from so many clients how important their pets have been to them these past few months. Pets offer us love; they keep us active; they help us sleep. In uncertain times, they give our days structure. They’re silent witnesses to our fear and grief.

The pandemic has upended the way we serve Minnesota and how we interact with clients. Since MN SNAP was able to re-open, we’ve stopped traveling with our mobile surgery clinic and are operating seven days per week in North Minneapolis. To date, more than 125 clinics in greater Minnesota have been cancelled. That’s 4,300 cats, dogs and rabbits who likely won’t see a veterinarian this year, or be sterilized and vaccinated. We can serve the same number of pets in Minneapolis, but we’re not reaching the many communities that need us. The last thing we want is to spread the virus to areas that are less burdened by disease and are home to vulnerable populations. But every pet we don’t reach is more for our hearts to hold.

Ten years ago, MN SNAP was founded by a woman who said, “Enough.” She was tired of the suffering and took a brave step to do what she could to lessen it. That’s what we’re all called to do right now — to lessen the suffering of others. Thanks to her vision, MN SNAP has prevented the birth of more than 5 million unwanted pets. We’ve traveled more than 320,000 miles to make the world better for Minnesota cats and dogs. And we’ve kept pets with the people who love them.

Anna Kucera
Executive Director