Animal services is included in the realm of health and human services in Fort Bend County. Barbara Vass, FBCAS assistant director and Lifesaving Programs manager submitted the application for the grant.
FBCAS is an open-admission municipal shelter with an average intake of about 5,000 dogs and cats per year, according to the grant application.
$50,000 is the highest reward the agency could have received. FBCAS plans to use the funds to support the lifesaving programs group, which manages adoptions, rescues, fosters, transport, volunteer, community health initiatives, and educational programs and outreach.
The specific goals for this funding, as outlined in the grant application, are to increase FBCAS and its programs’ presence in underserved communities to offer free or low-cost vaccines and microchip services; to add additional free or low-cost spay and neuter options to county residents in an effort to decrease shelter admission; and to add an additional microchip scanner and tablet for events in these communities.
Fort Bend County has been noted as one of the most diverse counties in Texas, per 2020 census data. According to a 2020 Diversity Index by County, Fort Bend was ranked at 76.3%, whereas Texas as a whole was ranked at 67%.
In the application, Vass highlighted the diversity among Fort Bend County’s leadership.
“We are one of the most diverse counties in the United States, and our county leadership with Judge KP George, Commissioner Grady Prestage, DA Brian Middleton [and] County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson at the helm reflects that,” Vass wrote. “Health and human services—which FBCAS falls under—is led by Dr. Jacquelyn Minter, and the director of Fort Bend County Animal Services is Rene Vasquez.”
Maddie’s Fund paid out 112 grants totaling $7.1 million between July 2021 to March 2022, according to the funding history available on the organization’s website. The nonprofit aims to increase community lifesaving efforts, pioneer shelter medicine education and establish foster care as a standard across the U.S.
