Nonprofit organization established to assist families spay, neuter pets

A new nonprofit organization has been created in Ritzville. SNYP, Spay Neuter Your Pet, will assist low-income families in Ritzville, Lind, Sprague and Washtucna to have their pets spayed or neutered.

Their aim is to provide a family with a coupon to offset or cover the cost of a pet’s spay or neuter procedure.

Janet Bowman, Leslie Greenwalt and Mikki Kison have been involved in animal welfare for many years.

They saw a need in the area and decided to create this organization so as to make a change for the better in their community.

Their mission is to provide assistance and education on the importance of spaying and neutering your pet.

Due to a generous donation from Pat Stark they were able to begin the process of getting a 501(c)(3) so as to legitimize their organization. This will help them make connections with other organizations for support in the future.

Kison stated, “Since donations will be local we want to keep the money local.”

The organization will run solely on donations from the community and they hope to hand out 40 to 50 coupons a year.

Since a spay or neuter surgery can run between $160 to $180 per animal the amount of the coupon will depend greatly on the amount of donations SNYP receives.

The group stated the community has been very supportive so far and they have already had donations come into the organization.

Their first event to raise money will be at the AAUW Holiday Bazaar, which is set to take place on Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ritzville Grade School.

They will have a booth set up and will raffle off a basket with local goods and a quilt donated by Melinda Benzel.

Raffle tickets will cost $1 each and will be available for sale at the U.S. Bank branch located at 101 East Main. They will also be accepting donations at that location.

After the Bazaar they will post on numerous local Facebook pages, such as Ritzville Indoor Yardsale and Ritzville Bulletin Board, to spread the word that the coupons are available.

The amount and number of coupons they will have available will be dependent on the sum of money their raffle at this event raises.

Once a person has acquired a coupon they are welcome to take their pet to any veterinarian to have the surgery performed. The coupon will state that the office can call for reimbursement via card immediately or send SNYP an invoice to be paid at a later date.

A family will need to prove their qualification as a low-income family based on the guidelines of having four in a family with an income of $45,000 or less per year.

The organization would like to note they will not be functioning as a rescue or offer any other services save for the vouchers.

If anyone has questions or would like to make a donation contact Bowman via text or call at 509-994-7576.