EMERGENCY FUND FOR LOCAL VET CLINICS AFTER HURRICANE HELENE

Update: We’ve already heard from one veterinary practice that needs immediate funds. We are dispatching the first $2000 to them! We are looking at raising funds in increments of $20,000 as we continue to assess the needs on the ground in Buncombe County and beyond.

I live in Fairview, NC and have been a veterinarian in the Asheville area for over 20 years. My clinic weathered Hurricane Helene without significant physical damage, though our business loss is yet to be determined— especially since our client base has also suffered the same catastrophic disaster. We are paying our staff even if we don’t have work for them as they all need their paychecks, but small

clinics like mine can only do that for so long without income.

I want to create a fund that will make it easier for all independently owned veterinary clinics to serve their patients and support their employees during disasters.

Our goal with this fund is to raise enough money to provide local clinics in need in Western North Carolina with enough money to cover two weeks of their payroll.

Eventually, we hope this fund will be the building block to be of support in other disasters in other locations.

Vet clinics provide an essential service for every community, and it is critical to keep them open in times of disaster and help them rebuild in the aftermath. This is how we support each other and help rebuild our local communities.