From Kittens to Community: How Animal Outreach is Transforming Animal Welfare

Vicki Shapleton: [00:00:00] During kitten season, which is typically March through October, we get a lot of requests of people coming in, and that's part of the reason why we're expanding, because there are times toward mid to late summer where we can't take any in. We're completely maxed out. All of our fosters are full. We don't have any cage space, and we have to stop taking animals in, and that's something we just absolutely hate to do.

When you have people that pull up and they have a litter of kittens in a box and we can't help them, and that breaks our heart.

Jeff Holden: Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion are simple: to highlight the incredible nonprofits that make our community stronger. Each episode is a chance for these organizations [00:01:00] to tell their story in their words, sharing not just what they do, but why it matters to the people they serve, to their supporters, and to all of us who believe in the power of community.

Through podcasting, we hope to amplify their voices, inspire connection, and give them one more tool to impact the hearts of donors, partners, and neighbors alike. Our work is made possible through the generous support of our partners. CapTrust, offering fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Western Health Advantage, a local not-for-profit health plan that believes healthcare is more than coverage, it's about caring. Core, executive leadership and comprehensive support services. They work in it so you can work on it. And Five Star Bank, a local trusted advisor to community nonprofits for over 25 years.

Our episode sponsor is Sacramento Venture Philanthropy, a community of [00:02:00] generosity combining people, expertise, and capital for good For many families, pets are more than companions. They're family, emotional support, and sometimes a lifeline during difficult times. But behind the scenes, animal welfare organizations across our region are facing growing challenges, exploding stray populations, rising veterinary costs, overcrowded shelters, and an overwhelming need for affordable care.

In this episode, I sit down with Garry Saperstein and Vicki Shapleton from Animal Outreach to talk about the critical role they play in protecting both animals and the people who love them. From rescuing thousands of kittens each year to providing low-cost veterinary services and managing feral cat colonies through trap, neuter, return programs, Animal Outreach has become one of the region's most important animal welfare organizations.

We also discuss their ambitious expansion project, a move that will [00:03:00] nearly double their capacity and dramatically increase access to affordable services throughout the Sacramento region. This is a conversation about compassion, community, and the unseen work required to care for the animals that so many people depend on every single day.

Garry Saperstein, Vicki Shapleton, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Vicki Shapleton: Thank you. 

Garry Saperstein: Thanks for having us. 

Jeff Holden: And this is a conversation that we started almost a year ago. All right. So I'm really excited. We held off for a particular reason, which we're gonna address in the conversation we have today, and I'm excited to talk to you about it because I know it's been something you've been working on for so, so long.

But before we do, let's get started on Animal Outreach. This is not a new organization. It's been around for a while. You're based up in El Dorado County, and we have our various shelters in Sacramento and Placer. You would be the shelter for El Dorado County. And it's a variety of animals, [00:04:00] dogs, cats, anything else besides that?

Vicki Shapleton: We used to do rabbits, but I think we're backing off on that. 

Jeff Holden: Okay, good. Tell me a little bit about the shelter itself. It's been around since 1992, so you are a mature organization for sure. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. It started in '92 with two women in the back of a beauty parlor- ... that wanted to save animals. And then in '97, they moved to an actual building where they started to do spay and neuter surgeries.

And then in 2010, we moved to the current location, where it was put together just by a bunch of volunteers showing up and putting walls together and making surgery space and clinic holding areas. 

Jeff Holden: My goodness. That is a... I can see it's a strip center with a little beauty shop, but people are bringing- 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah

Jeff Holden: animals in. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, yeah. They did it in the back of the parlor, yep. 

Jeff Holden: So you get your hair, nails- ... and animal taken care of, right? 

Vicki Shapleton: Right, right. [00:05:00] 

Jeff Holden: Gary, anything to add? 

Garry Saperstein: No, it's just that we're, we're probably one of the, the more important organizations for the animal welfare in the county. We spay, neutered about 7,500 animals in the last year.

We've adopted out and rescued over 1,600 cats. We do, we do a lot of good 

Jeff Holden: How did you get involved with the organization? 'Cause you were a tech guy, right? 

Garry Saperstein: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was a tech guy for many, many years, and I retired, and about three years after retirement, I got bored. I started looking around and started fostering with Animal Outreach, started volunteering on adoptions, and then got asked to join the board about 

Jeff Holden: four years ago.

And now you're board chair. 

Garry Saperstein: Now I'm board president, 

Jeff Holden: yes. Lucky you. Well. How about yourself? 

Vicki Shapleton: I retired early to take care of my parents that were ... needed some help, and, you know, took care of my dad and everything. And then after they passed, I didn't go back to work, and same thing, I'm not gonna just sit around the house and not do anything.

So I looked around, and [00:06:00] I've always loved animals, so it was just a great fit. 

Jeff Holden: And if I'm not mistaken, when we had our original conversation, there were animals crawling all over you at the time. Yeah. How many animals do you have? 

Vicki Shapleton: I have five cats and one dog. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. I remember there was more than the average.

Vicki Shapleton: Well, I also foster cats, so I usually have at least about a dozen running around the house. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. In terms of the organization itself, who is it you primarily serve? And I mean that in both ways. Is it, is it dogs? Is it cats? And, and what kind of people do you work with? 

Vicki Shapleton: We help anyone that comes to us for services, but we are an affordable low-cost vet clinic, so a lot of the, you know, lower income or people that need assistance do come to us.

But we help anyone in the community, especially, like, for the dental care, and we're significantly less than a lot of places, so a lot of people that can't even afford to do those kind of [00:07:00] services come to us. But yeah, spay, neuter, vaccinations and all that. But yeah, we just help anyone that needs it. 

Jeff Holden: And then it really is more a service for the pet to be taken care of, spay, neuter, health, wellbeing of the animal, correct?

Vicki Shapleton: Right. Right. 

Jeff Holden: And do we see more dogs or cats? 

Vicki Shapleton: Well, we do the vet clinic services for dogs and cats, and then we do rescue and adoption of cats. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Vicki Shapleton: So we ... You know, people that find cats, rescue cats. Like, the first three weeks in April, we took in 80 kittens that people- 

Jeff Holden: You took in 80 

Vicki Shapleton: kittens? 80 in three weeks, of people that just found, rescue, tried to save, and some of them are in, you know, horrible conditions.

They have illnesses or injuries, and they come to us for help. And so we take them in, and we give them all the vet services, put them in foster care until they're old enough for adoption. [00:08:00] 

Jeff Holden: My goodness. That seem- seems like a lot to me. Is that, is that a lot, relatively speaking? 

Vicki Shapleton: It is, but during kitten season, which is typically March through October, we get a lot of requests of people coming in.

And that's part of the reason why we're expanding, because there are times toward mid to late s- summer where we can't take any in. We're completely maxed out. All of our fosters are full. We don't have any cage space, and we have to stop taking animals in, and that's something we just absolutely hate to do.

When you have people that pull up and they have a litter of kittens in a box, and we can't help them, and that just breaks our heart. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, I can only imagine. Yeah. I, I didn't know there was a kitten season, to be honest. 

Garry Saperstein: Oh, yeah. 

Vicki Shapleton: There is, yeah. 

Garry Saperstein: It used to be one, now it's two. We used to have one wave in early s- spring.

Now we get second wave sometime around 

Jeff Holden: here. Okay. And so that's the cat side of things. How about the dog [00:09:00] side? 

Vicki Shapleton: People come to us for clinic services for the dogs. And so we do, you know, spay, neuter, vaccinations, dental work- Okay ... for dogs. And after we expand, we hope to expand those services to be able to offer m- more.

Jeff Holden: And these are necessary services that anybody would do for, for preventative maintenance, basically- Yeah ... on, on illnesses and teeth cleaning and so on. And I imagine you have services where there are injuries or somebody can't take care of a particular situation for the vet because they can't afford it, right?

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. And we actually have a outreach program where we do a lot for the unhoused or very low income people, that we'll go out and try to provide those services for free, or work with the Hu- El Dorado Humane Society to provide free services for them. Because a lot of them, they just can't afford that.

Mm-hmm. And we wanna make sure that they're cared for, 'cause a lot of times this is their family. 

Jeff Holden: For somebody who's unhoused, and, and [00:10:00] even not. It's- Seniors, somebody who's isolated, you know, fixed income, doesn't get out a lot, the pet is their family. 

Garry Saperstein: Right. Right. 

Jeff Holden: And, and they will, they will- suffer the consequence themselves before they'll let the pet suffer in many cases, if they can.

Garry Saperstein: Right. Right. And we also have a program where we do TNR, trap, neuter, and return, where- Okay ... we have various groups that manage colonies of businesses, behind homes, construction sites, and they'll go and they'll, they'll trap the cats that are there, bring them in in the mornings. They get their spay or neuter, and then the next day they go back to where they came from.

Jeff Holden: I remember this in the conversation we had earlier, what a significant value that is because the animals actually do have a preventative element to them in terms of rodents and- 

Garry Saperstein: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: you know, around certain- Disease prevention, yeah ... yeah, disease. Thank you. Thank you. Of facilities, whether it be a warehouse or a, you know, stores that maybe have food or whatever, and the cat colonies [00:11:00] do have a value.

However, if they're not spayed and neutered, they can get out of control, and then you have a situation. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, which actually, last year I had someone call me and they said, "You know, we have these four community cats that just live in the neighborhood. I feed 'em and I really enjoy it." And they said, "You know, I'm, I'm thinking maybe I should get 'em fixed."

So I went over there and started to work with them. There were three females and one male, and I started to put up cameras. It ends up all three females already had litters, and so I started trapping, and we got all four adults fixed, and I ended up finding 15 kittens. And so when they were ... We monitored them while the mom was taking care of them.

They were in a safe location. And then when they were old enough, we trapped them and found them good homes. But so they had 4 and then 15 kittens. If we hadn't gotten them and got 'em [00:12:00] fixed, the little kittens can have another litter at four months of age. 

Jeff Holden: Oh my gosh. 

Vicki Shapleton: Mm-hmm. So by the end of the year, I estimated there would've been about 45 kittens in that neighborhood.

And so it's really important, you know, that we help these people that just have the stray cats, whether it's providing a service or just a friendly neighborhood cat, and make sure to keep the population under control. 

Garry Saperstein: And it's better for the bird population and the lizards 

Jeff Holden: too. Mm-hmm. To, to your point of the way that virally grows, geometrically grows, that's just one little home- Right

that you, you had and, and, and that you found that brought it to your attention. Whereas how many of those are there? 

Vicki Shapleton: Right. 

Garry Saperstein: And, and we have colonies where there's upwards of 100 cats- 

Jeff Holden: Oh, my gosh ... 

Garry Saperstein: in 

Jeff Holden: a colony. Yeah. 

Garry Saperstein: Once, once they get 'em fixed, somebody else brings another one in, abandons a cat, and it all starts all over again.

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Garry Saperstein: It's never-ending. [00:13:00] Dur- during the height of season, we have a, what, six to eight-week waiting list, if not longer- 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah ... 

Garry Saperstein: to get, to get people in there to get, to get- 

Jeff Holden: Okay ... 

Garry Saperstein: cat 

Jeff Holden: done. And one of the values that you bring to the community is, is the cost of the service, which is substantially reduced from what might be through a, a vet or a- 

Garry Saperstein: Yeah.

Be- Yeah ... commercial 

Jeff Holden: clinic. 

Garry Saperstein: Because of the, because of the donations we get, the funding we get, grants, it lets us help the community that way. It's just, it's key. 

Jeff Holden: Well, and I think it's necessary that people understand this has to happen. 

Garry Saperstein: Oh, it does. 

Jeff Holden: There has to be an outlet, otherwise it will run rampant, and we'll have all sorts of situations.

Not to mention the, the catastrophic part of that, where it can become diseased, and situations where it really impacts the humans around the animal life, too. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. And we get no funding from the county or state or anyone, so we're all from the donations and the services we provide. And we're very conscious to keep the prices as low as [00:14:00] possible just so we can maintain existence.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Vicki Shapleton: So donations are just a huge part of it. 

Jeff Holden: A- and we're gonna get to that funding part in just a second. But I wanna ask you, what is the most popular program that you provide? Where, where do you see the most demand? Spay/neuter. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. The, the- Okay ... spay/neuter and the low-cost dental. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Yeah. Always glad to hear that.

There, there's an awareness from the community at large to know that they gotta get their animals, you know, spayed or neutered to prevent multiplicity of- Right ... something they don't want. 

Garry Saperstein: Well, and a lot, a lot of what we, the spay/neuters that we do are actually kittens that are surrendered to us, put out on foster, and then we take 'em out for adoption- Okay

in one of our adoption centers. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. And, and we'll touch it, on that in just a second as well 'cause it's the next question. It's a perfect segue. 

Garry Saperstein: There you go. 

Jeff Holden: People you collaborate with, who do you find that you work with in the community and supports the organization to keep it functioning as it does?[00:15:00] 

Vicki Shapleton: The donors or the people that bring in the cats? 

Jeff Holden: And, and not so much the bring in, but the other organizations, other entities that you may work with. 

Garry Saperstein: Probably the biggest partnership we have is with the El Dorado Humane Society and the low income and unhoused. They've got coupons that they take out and they give to people and to do spay/neuters and vaccinations.

We do a little bit of work with Foothill Dog Rescue, dog side with them, and that's pretty much it. I mean, we, we'll take in animals from other shelters when we're, when we have none and we've got some, you know, available space. But for the most part, it's, it's really just working with the local people in the community.

And I'm wondering, do the homeless shelters 

Jeff Holden: and or any of the food banks, are they aware of you? 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, we have a new person that does our community outreach, and what we found out is when we started to help them, you have to build up a relationship, and they have to trust you to [00:16:00] let them... So we can take their pet and get it fixed.

So there was a time where we just were building that relationship. Now they know us, they're familiar with us. So we provide the services to them, and we also give food to their food closet for their pets. So people that need food- 

Jeff Holden: Great. Yeah ... feed 

Vicki Shapleton: them, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: I figured that had to be happening. Those are the- Yeah

those are the things we wanna see from the organiz- organizations we speak with, because it's so easy if you're not aware, you don't know. And, and that service may be there to the benefit of somebody who could really use it. So that's, that's great to hear. And then you have these adoption centers as well, right?

Garry Saperstein: And we have one, one here in Citrus Heights. PetSmart actually donates space for us to do adoptions. They let us keep all of the funding from adoptions and, and give us supplies, as well as at the end of the quarter, we go through and we do a reconciliation, and they give us a little bit of a bonus for all the animals.

Well, 

Jeff Holden: that's great to hear. 

Garry Saperstein: It's, it's a hu- It's, it's a huge lift for us. And we have another [00:17:00] PetSmart on Bidwell in 

Jeff Holden: Folsom. Folsom, sure. 

Garry Saperstein: And we also have a new one that we opened up last year at Petco in West Sacramento. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Well, it's great that they give you the opportunity to be there, because certainly when somebody's going through with a child and they're thinking, "Maybe I wanna get a-" 

Garry Saperstein: A lot of foot traffic

Jeff Holden: an animal. 

Garry Saperstein: They, they come to the pet store. 

Jeff Holden: And they have the visibility, right. 

Garry Saperstein: And it gets us down the hill, too. Instead of just being up at the shelter up in Fair Oaks Springs, people down in Citrus Heights and Folsom, down this way get access as well. 

Jeff Holden: And if I'm not mistaken, I remember you talking about a cat community that was actually in Sacramento.

You actually will even work with people from Sacramento County, or where they, they came up and- 

Garry Saperstein: Oh, the- the- these are the trappers. 

Jeff Holden: Yes, 

Garry Saperstein: the trappers. Yeah, the trappers. Thank you. They, they come... Yeah, they, they're the folks that do the TNR. They c- They come from all o- all over the area. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Garry Saperstein: Solano, Yolo, Sacramento.

That's what it was, 

Jeff Holden: yeah. 

Vicki Shapleton: It's a huge network of people, and they're not associated [00:18:00] usually with any specific rescue group or organization. They're just people that donate their time to help people, and there's like Facebook groups where people will just say, you know, "I found a injured cat," or, "A litter of kittens.

Can someone help me?" And they'll loan out traps or they'll come to Animal Outreach and check out a trap, and then they'll trap them and then bring them up to us to get them spayed and neutered and fixed up. But every day there's so many posts of people finding sick, injured cats and kittens, and they just reach out to help, and then with us, with this community of people that do the TNR, we just work together to help everybody.

Jeff Holden: And let's identify that TNR again is trap 

Vicki Shapleton: Trap, Neuter, Return. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Vicki Shapleton: So that's, that's usually for the adults. So if someone finds an adult cat that's not fixed, the best place, if possible, is for them to return to where they came from. It's where they're familiar with. [00:19:00] So the best case is that we fix them and return them to where they came from.

If they're friendly or if it's not a safe place for them to return to, then we work on maybe socializing the cat and getting it to where it could be adopted out. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Garry Saperstein: Or a barn cat becomes a working cat. 

Jeff Holden: Right. And that, we hear that a lot. You know- Mm-hmm ... somebody said, "Well, I got the cat to take care of everything."

That's right. Right. "I didn't need to get an exterminator or whatever." 

Vicki Shapleton: Right, yeah. "

Jeff Holden: And we actually like the cat, even though it's not a house cat. It's 

Garry Saperstein: a, 

Jeff Holden: it, it becomes a pet for the family." 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: We'll return to the conversation with Vicky Shapleton and Gary Saperstein of Animal Outreach right after those responsible for our programming give a bark or a purr about how their business may help your business.

James Beckwith: I'm James Beckwith, president and CEO of Five Star Bank. We're dedicated to supporting nonprofit organizations who advocate for the strength, resilience, and vitality of those they serve. [00:20:00] When nonprofit organizations thrive, our community does too. By supporting the Nonprofit Podcast Network, Five Star Bank is amplifying the voices and meaningful impact of our nonprofit community.

We're Five Star Bank, a trusted nonprofit partner. How can we help you? 

Darrell Teat: We are really excited to be part of the family and contribute to the work that you all are doing. CXORE provides fractional and interim executive services, along with comprehensive back office solutions that go into our client sites and do the work to give them the capacity they need in order to move through transitions, whether that's planned or unplanned, or companies also work with our accounting and finance, back office solutions, human resources, technology, and administration.

The reason why our back office solutions add value is because we save them time and money, anywhere from twenty to thirty percent of what they would spend on that back office solution. We work in it, so they [00:21:00] can actually work on it. CXORE.com, and contact me directly at DTEAT@CXORE.com. 

Jeff Holden: If you're interested in learning more about how CXORE may help your organization, visit CXORE.com.

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CapTrust in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations. Annually, we survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment. In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission-aligned investment, and how to implement alternative investments.

If you would like a copy of the survey or to discuss your organization, look me up, ScottThomas@CapTrust.com. 

Jeff Holden: At Western Health Advantage, healthcare isn't just a service, it's a shared value. As a nonprofit [00:22:00] leader, you need a health plan that understands the importance of mission-driven work. Western Health Advantage is a local, not-for-profit health plan that supports organizations like yours with affordable, flexible coverage options for your team.

But what truly sets them apart is their commitment to community, supporting nonprofits like the American Heart Association, Sacramento Ballet, and the Crocker Art Museum's Pay What You Wish Sundays. With access to top-tier providers and dedicated local support, Western Health Advantage is more than a health plan.

It's a partner in your purpose. Explore your options today at Westernhealth.com. Western Health Advantage, healthcare with heart, designed for those who give back. 

Brad Squires: Hi, I'm Brad Squires, CEO of Sacramento Venture Philanthropy. For more than a decade, SVP has brought together local donors, business leaders, and nonprofit change-makers to do philanthropy differently.

Through [00:23:00] pooled funding, hands-on mentorship, and programs like Fast Pitch and 100X, SVP helps nonprofits build real long-term capacity, not just short-term solutions. If you're looking to go beyond writing the check and wanna use your experience, your voice, your leadership to create a lasting impact and have a lot of fun doing it, now is the time to join SVP.

Learn more about becoming a partner at SVPSacramento.org. 

Jeff Holden: So trap-neuter-return is a, is another part of the service that you provide. Now, we talked a little bit about funding. We just scratched the surface that donors are really supporting a lot of what you do. How are you funded? Is, is it all donor-based?

Garry Saperstein: About half of our revenue comes from services that we provide, and the other half comes from grants, from donations, uh, in-kind donations that we get from folks that, that donate goods for us, [00:24:00] and it's, you know, it's a community-based service. We depend on everybody to help keep this moving 

Jeff Holden: And, and you are.

You've been growing rapidly, and we're about to talk about something that's really exciting, which has caused us to- Yeah ... delay the, the episode- Yeah ... in the first place. And, and, and you're working with what? About a million and a half, million four 

Garry Saperstein: budget? 1.4. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Garry Saperstein: Our budget's about 1.4 last year. 

Jeff Holden: Okay.

Garry Saperstein: We're at the point where it's, it's our inflection. We can either keep going and keep serving more or fall back a little bit, but we're hoping to keep growing. 

Jeff Holden: Well, you've got a commitment that you're making here now that, you know- Yeah ... let, let's address. That, yeah, that's the, the funding part of it. The question we would usually, usually ask here is, you know, vision.

What's the vision? If money were no object, what would you do? And while money is a bit of an object in this case, but your vision is coming to reality, right? 

Vicki Shapleton: It is, and, and that's back to where I was talking about how a lot of times people come to us and we can't take in any [00:25:00] more, or we're just ... People have to wait months for services, and that was just something that we don't wanna have to do, 'cause we're providing a service.

And so in December, we bought a new building, which it was a huge step. 

Jeff Holden: Congratulations. 

Vicki Shapleton: Thank you. It's ... So our current space is 5,400 square feet. The new building is 11,000 square feet. So we're starting our remodel in a month, and we'll have two full surgery suites, so we can hire an additional veterinarian.

And it'll allow us to not only expand our services, but increase the capacity of what we're able to provide. 

Garry Saperstein: We're gonna put in a full x-ray system. We've got a full dental suite. We'll have four different quarantine rooms now, where we can much better segregate the sick animals, and we'll have twice as much holding capacity for animals that we're getting ready for adoption.

Jeff Holden: Oh, that's a win-win all the way around. 

Garry Saperstein: All around. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. 

Garry Saperstein: And how many 

Jeff Holden: vets do you actually have on premise- So- ... or will [00:26:00] have on premise? 

Garry Saperstein: We have one full-time vet, and we have four part-time vets that come in- 

Jeff Holden: Okay ... 

Garry Saperstein: to help when we need it. The goal is we're putting in two surgical suites into the new building, and we're gonna hire a second full-time vet.

Jeff Holden: Okay. How many people do you employ totally? 

Vicki Shapleton: We have 23 employees. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Vicki Shapleton: And then about, what, 350 volunteers. 

Garry Saperstein: Volunteers? Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. That's a lot of people. 

Garry Saperstein: Well, we couldn't, we couldn't exist without the volunteers. Yeah. I mean, they're, they're the lifeblood. They're the ones that do all the fostering. They come in and do the cleanings at the shelter.

They help out in the clinic. They work at the store for adoptions, and they're ambassadors for us as 

Jeff Holden: well. So let's even take it a bit beyond the new facility. Get, it gets built, and I know what's gonna happen. You're gonna have it there for two or three years, and you're gonna say, "Oh, my gosh. We, we could use more."

Garry Saperstein: I'm already looking at the building behind me. 

Jeff Holden: So a- a- as a vision, what, what would it look like if it was an unlimited budget? What could you do? What could, what could be different? 

Vicki Shapleton: I [00:27:00] know we've also talked about a future, it'd be great to expand down towards Sacramento and have a satellite location that's easier for people in the Yolo, Sacramento, Placer Counties to be able to access our services.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Garry Saperstein: And there's also mobile services that, that we've been looking at. They're basically vet- veterinary clinics on wheels. 

Jeff Holden: Does anybody have anything like that around here? I know- 

Garry Saperstein: Yeah. Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, okay. 

Garry Saperstein: They do exist. But 

Jeff Holden: for profit, it's not an- 

Garry Saperstein: Well, a lot of these, they're, they're non-profits. They're- They 

Jeff Holden: are?

Okay. Yeah, I'm not 

Garry Saperstein: familiar ... these are non-profits. Yeah. There's, I don't think there's any private vets that actually have a mobile spay/neuter. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Garry Saperstein: It's more, more of the people like us. 

Jeff Holden: That's a neat idea. I like it. Yeah. Well, make sure you clearly state that it's for animals only. 

Garry Saperstein: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Back to the reality today of where you are with everything and facility, i- is there a capital campaign that's now underway or about to be?

Vicki Shapleton: Oh, we're, yeah. We've been starting that since last year. Okay. And we're just doing everything we can, trying to find ways to raise money [00:28:00] and fundraise. I mean, everything from bingo to, you know- 

Garry Saperstein: Cheesecake, cookies. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. 

Garry Saperstein: Events. 

Vicki Shapleton: And grants. I've become a grant writer, that I didn't know I'd be able to do. And just everything we can, 'cause we just need to raise money for the remodel of the building.

Mm-hmm. We took out a loan for the purchase, but we need to be able to build the clinic and everything inside of it. 

Garry Saperstein: And, and our build-out cost is gonna be somewhere around 2 and a half to 3 million. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Garry Saperstein: It's not an insignificant amount. 

Jeff Holden: No, no. Well, and it's important. This is giving us the opportunity to tell the community and the listeners, "This is what we need.

This is what needs to happen in order to get that complete." You've got a lease for the facility now. You're well on your way, and it's a matter of building it out. Is there a timeline or expectation that you have, at least ideally? 

Garry Saperstein: We're hoping to break ground next month. 

Jeff Holden: Next month, that would be May of 2026?

Garry Saperstein: Yeah, in May. Okay. In May, we're gonna go in and [00:29:00] start doing all of our demolition. Hopefully June, July, we start the construction and- Then if all goes well, we can open the first phase in January, February. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, that would be awesome. Sure. Of 2027. Yeah. Well, as you do, we'll be sure to put it in the newsletter and get some pictures of, uh- 

Garry Saperstein: Oh

Jeff Holden: you know, congratulations, we made it. We- Yeah. Here we are. Here we- 

Garry Saperstein: Oh, you'll, you'll hear about 

Jeff Holden: it. I- in terms of your fundraising as well, I'm sure you participate with some of the, like, Big Day of Giving and anything you can out in, in, in the county. 

Garry Saperstein: There's, there's Big Day of Giving, which is going on now, and then there's the donation event in November.

The Early Giving for Thanksgiving comes up in November, and we have various fundraisers all year. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Is there any one particular thing that you do that is most significant? 

Vicki Shapleton: We have a fall fundraiser that's kind of like a brunch where we do, you know, auctions and silent auctions and all that. 

Jeff Holden: The familiar.

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, the familiar stuff. Mm-hmm. Right. But, I mean, we just look out [00:30:00] for anything that we can. You know, there's a lot of companies that'll allow you to have an event sponsored, like a, you know, a, a restaurant or something that'll give you a portion of it. 

Garry Saperstein: We have a new, a new online auction that we're kicking off on May 9th called Aubrey, and it's various pieces that...

Art pieces that have been donated by local artists and a whole group of wooden figurines that have been cut by one group. Uh- 

Jeff Holden: In, in animal, animal shapes? 

Garry Saperstein: In animal shapes. Okay, okay. In cat shape, cat and dog shapes, and they've been painted and, and done up by various artists that are gonna be up for auction as well.

Neat. Yeah. So May 9th is our kickoff for that, and that auction's going two weeks. 

Jeff Holden: And this is the first time you've done that- 

Garry Saperstein: Brand new event ... 

Jeff Holden: sort of a thing. Yeah. Okay. Never, 

Garry Saperstein: never done this before. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Okay. If we look back at what's been going on in the county, what you've seen over the course of the years that you've been involved, how would you gauge, or how does anybody gauge the [00:31:00] impact of what you do?

Garry Saperstein: A very good question. Because what we do, you don't see it. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Garry Saperstein: By, by virtue of us reducing the cat population means they're much less visible. So I guess if you see, if you see groups of cats running around all over the place, we're not doing our job. 

Jeff Holden: Right. Well, in fact, I don't, so I- ... I'm gonna assume you, you are.

But as a complement, too, you have the numbers that you see come through. Had those numbers not been what they were, I mean, that'd be catastrophic. 

Garry Saperstein: Think about it. Right. One kitten at, at four months can have another five or six kittens. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Garry Saperstein: And it's just exponential- 

Jeff Holden: Right ... 

Garry Saperstein: growth. 

Jeff Holden: So if that's being maintained in some way, shape, or form, or just the volume of people that you see through the, the organization, do you have an...

Is there an average number, is it per month or just annually, that you do outside of the, you know, actual volume that you saw from kittens coming in to adopt or, or foster, but [00:32:00] from medical services? 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, we, in 20, 2025, we did 7,600 neuters 

Jeff Holden: 7,600. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 7,600. Hundred. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. Think 

Jeff Holden: about it. 

Vicki Shapleton: And we also did over 5,000 rabies vaccinations, 4,500 microchips, so- 

Jeff Holden: Wait, I'm, I'm still hung up on the spay/neuter.

That's over 500 a month. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. I 

Jeff Holden: mean, well over 500. It's over 600. We- It's 600 a month, 

Garry Saperstein: plus ... we have, we have this monthly event called Free Feral Day, and during that day, we'll have our regular vet and one or two, uh, temp vets come in, and we'll do 70 to 80 cats 

Vicki Shapleton: in a day. For free. 

Garry Saperstein: For free. 

Vicki Shapleton: It's a Free Feral Day.

Garry Saperstein: And it's done in conjunction with the Humane Society. They provide the funding for it, and we provide the services. That's an incredible- It's, 

Jeff Holden: it's amazing ... amount. Well, there, there's the impact right there. 

Vicki Shapleton: Oh, it's crazy to see. Just in terms of what 

Jeff Holden: you do. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, if you come in on the days where we do the Free Feral Day, and sometimes they also do a Free Friendly Day, it [00:33:00] is crazy because we have a small space, and we have 80 cats in- They're-

cages ... everywhere. The whole place is just covered. 

Garry Saperstein: They, the boys- Having no idea what's about to happen. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 

Garry Saperstein: The boys, you know, they, they, they just line the boys up on the counters and, and they come through, and they do their snips, and the girls go into the surgical room, and it's, it's, it's an assembly line.

It's, it's something to see. I mean, it's ... I would love to figure out how to get that up on the web just so for people to see. 

Jeff Holden: I mean, even if you have any stills, send them to us. We'll put them in the video for the episode. I 

Vicki Shapleton: do. I have 

Garry Saperstein: pictures 

Vicki Shapleton: of it. Oh, no. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. That would be great. 

Garry Saperstein: Yeah, 'cause it, it's, it's an impressive, it's an impressive day, those kinds of days.

And, and you watch our vet, I mean, she's ... She comes from shelter medicine. She came to us from Colorado about two years ago now, I think it is, and she's, her heart is, is truly in the shelter medicine. She wants to help the cats. And watching her and her colleagues, they're working these days, it's, it's incredible.

Jeff Holden: I can only imagine. Do you have relationships with maybe a UC Davis or anybody like that from [00:34:00] the vet side of things? 

Garry Saperstein: We're not really set up to do that right now. Okay. One of the goals of the new building is we wanna start working more on the internship programs at UC Davis, more with the ROP programs from the high schools- 

Jeff Holden: Great

Garry Saperstein: Yolo County, because there's a, there's a shortage of veterinarians and registered vets. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Garry Saperstein: So w- we're hoping that by doing this, we can get them to see w- what an organization we are and, and come, come work with us. In fact, we've got two new people, well, not so new anymore, that did come through the ROP program.

Jeff Holden: That's wonderful to hear. 

Garry Saperstein: They decided to stay on with us. 

Jeff Holden: What I would imagine as you become more familiar to everybody in the community with the new facility, they'll realize, "Okay, there's something here that we can take advantage of, too." 

Garry Saperstein: Yeah. And, and we'll have, we'll have better facilities to actually do some teaching.

Right now, we're, it's very small- Sure ... and, and when the vet's busy, I mean, you know, she can barely move her elbows around to do 

Jeff Holden: anything. Yeah. Well, that's gonna be fabulous to get that almost double the square footage. 

Vicki Shapleton: [00:35:00] Yeah. Yeah. I'm excited about that. 

Jeff Holden: I can, I can only imagine. Running a nonprofit, as, as you know well, is not an easy, it's not an easy gig.

No. It's, it's tough. And not only from the financial standpoint of it, but also there's, there's an awareness of the impact that you have on the communities that you serve. You cannot get away from seeing an animal wherever you happen to be, so it's gonna remind you of work. W- if you're on your vacation, you see a couple of strays, and it's like, "Ugh."

Garry Saperstein: When I travel, I always make a point to go visit the local shelters, to go talk to the rescuers. And, and I'm not talking about traveling to the States, but around the world. We were in, uh, South Korea, and I met this woman who had a little booth, a little outreach booth. And I was talking to her, and she invited me to go see her little rescue organization.

You know, it was interesting to see how similar it is to what we do. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Well, and to think, we tend to be myopic in the United States, that we're the only ones doing this sort of a thing. Oh, no. But it [00:36:00] exists everywhere. 

Garry Saperstein: One of our previous board members, she worked on Guam, and she worked with the feral dogs.

Apparently from all the servicemen that came over, th- there were a lot of dogs left behind. And when she came back to the States, she wanted to go back to work in the rescue, so she found one. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, fantastic. Yeah. And then Vicki, how about you? When you're, you're out and about. 

Vicki Shapleton: Oh, I was just gonna say, I was just in Amsterdam, and there's a cat rescue on a boat in the canal.

It's pretty funny, and you can pay, like, $5 to go in and see the cats and stuff. But it's just on this little boat. So it's a problem everywhere. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, and I would imagine certainly on a, on a dock or a wharf where you got the seafood and- 

Vicki Shapleton: Right, right ... 

Jeff Holden: and, you know, whatever's left from fishermen coming in, it, it's gonna draw, draw contingent colonies of cats for sure.

Vicki Shapleton: Right. 

Jeff Holden: So what I wanna do, this is beyond the mission, we'll call it. It, it's some fast questions for you just for people [00:37:00] to get a little bit of an understanding about you. Yeah. You know, a little bit more about you. Coffee or tea? 

Garry Saperstein: Coffee. 

Jeff Holden: What's the last program or video that you might have watched or binged?

Garry Saperstein: Red Eye from Hulu. 

Jeff Holden: Are you a early bird or night owl? 

Garry Saperstein: Uh, both, actually. Go to sleep late and get up early. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, no. Sound like me. What might the team volunteers u- use as one word to describe you? Relentless. I like it. And then last one for you is podcast, music, or silence on a drive? 

Garry Saperstein: Music. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Hey, Vicki, your turn.

Okay. Coffee or tea? 

Vicki Shapleton: Coffee. 

Jeff Holden: I see you've got a coffee there. I have coffee here, yep. Which has something flavor in it and smells- ... oh, it's like hazelnut or vanilla or something. It's, it smells great. Um, early bird or night owl? 

Vicki Shapleton: Night 

Jeff Holden: owl. Okay. Favorite place to escape, even if it's just for a moment? 

Vicki Shapleton: You know what?

Lately, I like being at home with my animals. [00:38:00] 

Jeff Holden: This is supposed to be the escape from that. 

Vicki Shapleton: I know, I know. But I get to play with foster kittens that are so adorable. 

Jeff Holden: Is there a, a, a hobby, if, if you were to say the thing I like to do most is...? 

Vicki Shapleton: I am really into art. Okay. I like painting. I used to do a lot of sculpting, yeah.

Jeff Holden: And then how about something people would be surprised to learn about you? 

Vicki Shapleton: Ooh, that's a tough one. Uh, the year we boycotted the Olympics, I was on the Olympic team. 

Jeff Holden: You're kidding me. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Um- And now I have to ask, in what sport? 

Vicki Shapleton: I did discus, and I went to the training camp the year we boycotted. 

Jeff Holden: That is awesome.

That's, that's a fun little fact that- Yeah ... you're right, most people probably aren't gonna know. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, thank you for that. That was, that was fun with both of you 'cause I haven't done this yet with two people. Uh, in terms of the organization, if somebody wants to support the organization, what's the best way for them to learn and get to you?

Vicki Shapleton: Our website, which is animaloutreach.net. That would be [00:39:00] the best way. That has all the information about us. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. We find so many people, it's the website is the best source, and I know we have it up behind us, and there's an opportunity to support you there with a, a simple button as- We can.

Mm ... as well as get your, your mailing list. I am so excited for you because we held off on this 'cause we wanted to wait until you had a little more information about the building, and I remember maybe six weeks ago, I get this email, "Look, we have renderings." Yeah. "We're there." 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah. Yes. 

Garry Saperstein: We are here. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. And, a- and you, you're there.

I mean, this is progress. It's, it's so neat to see, and you guys have been working on it for so long that, that- 

Garry Saperstein: It's a year and a half in the making. Uh, 

Jeff Holden: right 

Garry Saperstein: We started looking 18 months ago for a place to move. It took us a year just to find a building. 

Jeff Holden: And, and that first step now is, is coming to fruition to where you see it, and you're talking breaking ground and, and getting started on the facility.

For all your people, I'm sure it's exciting. For the, [00:40:00] the employees, for the volunteers, I mean, look at the space they're gonna have to work with, and y- the ability to accommodate more people is, is gonna be, you know, that much easier to do more work, and- 

Garry Saperstein: We'll, we'll, we'll have m- many more resources now to meet our mission and do- Mm

do what we need to do and maybe even branch out into new areas as 

Jeff Holden: well. And knowing that you are a low-cost provider for those who can't afford the traditional vet and/or clinic or whatever it may be just makes it that much more important because in the environment we're in today, it... And pe- they love their animals, and we don't wanna see somebody sacrificing their own health or wellbeing because they have to pay for whatever it may be that the animal needs.

Garry Saperstein: Yeah. We, we actually, we have surrenders now because people can't afford to- Mm ... for the medical bills and, and some are even having a tough time with the food. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, that's sad to hear. 

Garry Saperstein: Yes, as much as we can help them. 

Jeff Holden: Well, what you're doing, what you're doing for El Dorado County and for the greater region, especially with the [00:41:00] TNR, which, which again, new- news to me and I'm sure to many people who are listening, that there was that much need for these colonies to be managed.

But it's, it's a wonderful service, and now that you've got all this activity going on, I wish you the greatest and continued success with what you're doing. Thank you so much for what you're doing. And, you know, now let's go make something better. 

Garry Saperstein: Thank you for having us. 

Vicki Shapleton: Yeah, thank you very much. 

Garry Saperstein: Thank you for 

Jeff Holden: listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network.

We hope today's episode inspired you and gave you a deeper look into the work of our local nonprofits. If you believe in our mission to amplify their voices, please take a moment to leave us a positive review and share this episode with a friend. It helps more people discover the incredible work happening in our community.

Don't miss future episodes. Subscribe to our weekly updates and monthly newsletter at nonprofitpod.com. And if you're a part of a nonprofit that would [00:42:00] like to be featured, we'd love to hear from you. Just visit the guest tab on our website. The Nonprofit Podcast Network is recorded and produced at Hear Me Now Studio with generous support from our partners, CapTrust, fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations, online at captrust.com.

Western Health Advantage, local care with community impact. Find the plan that fits at westernhealth.com. Core, executive leadership and comprehensive support services. Visit cxore.com. And Five Star Bank, a local trusted advisor to community nonprofits for over 25 years. fivestarbank.com. And finally, our episode sponsor, Sacramento Venture Philanthropy, a community of generosity combining people, expertise, and capital for good.

[00:43:00] svpsacramento.org.