Krystal Stewart is launching her own outreach effort, "Krys Kares," to help the homeless pet owners in Kamloops keep their animals healthy.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Krystal Stewart
November 26, 2022 - 8:00 AM
A Kamloops woman doesn't want to see pets going cold, so she's helping homeless animal owners take care of their pets.
Krystal Stewart is taking to the streets herself to bring food and warm clothes to the homeless cats and dogs on Kamloops streets as winter sets in.
"The idea is going around the community doing outreach, finding people who have pets that are experiencing homelessness, providing for anything they need," Stewart said. "There are some groups that do supply food, but they don't do outreach."
When she's not working or volunteering at the local SPCA, Stewart plans to drive around Kamloops offering help and supplies two to three times per week, with her boyfriend's assistance.
So far, she's been handing out food and warm pet clothes to animal owners on the streets since late-October, paying out of her own pocket.
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Stewart has plans to ideally expand the service into a larger organization, which would be based on an organization in Calgary called Parachutes for Pets. She's starting small, however, with a $500 online fundraiser goal that will offer her a "safety net" as she pays for most of the supplies herself.
"There's a great deal of homeless people in Kamloops, but not a ton have pets. What I expect is it will be the same people who will need repeated assistance," she said, calling her outreach service Krys Kares.
For all the social services available in the city, she's likely the only person offering outreach to specifically help people care for animals while on the streets, adding that it's important for both the animal and the owner to stay together, even without permanent shelter.
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"To separate a person from their companion animal, it doesn't do anybody any good. It makes the person miserable, then you're sending that animal to a shelter that is already overwhelmed," she said.
Stewart works for a local radio station, but she has ten years experience volunteering for animal welfare organizations, including the SPCA.
At the SPCA, she's seen shelters overwhelmed with intakes, pushed to the brink with animals surrendered by renters struggling to find a pet friendly home.
"A great big reason why there's so many animal surrenders right now is because of the housing crisis," she said.
After starting her fundraiser on Nov. 22, she already surpassed the $500 goal two days later, with more than $1,500 donated.
Stewart said she'd like to partner with a local pet-friendly shelter or social service agency in the future, but for now, she plans to continue her routine of heading out with food and winter clothes for animal owners without permanent shelter in Kamloops.
Stewart's online fundraiser is available here.
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