Making Change

When one MainStreet Bank employee got the opportunity to make a $1,000 donation through the Making Change giving program, she jumped at the chance to give back to the animal shelter that rescued her cat Zelda.

Zelda was only a few weeks old when she was found in a storm drain with three of her siblings. The kittens were brought back to the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria where they were cleaned, fed, and named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a nod to their subterranean hiding spot. Zelda, originally called Raphaela, was soon adopted by the MainStreet Bank employee.

She’s a longtime fan of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, or AWLA for short, where she’s been visiting for over a decade. Her daughter participated in the organization’s “book buddies” program, where kids practice reading to the adoptable animals. So when she was looking for an organization to support through the bank’s employee giving program, AWLA was an obvious choice.

“It’s a great organization to donate to. They’re so friendly with everyone,” she said.

When she went to deliver her contribution, she was greeted with warm smiles by staff. Sarah Manning, Development Operations Specialist, showed her a video of Zelda and the other kittens getting their first bath at the shelter before taking her on a tour.

“We’re so much more than a shelter,” Sarah explained. AWLA goes beyond animal rescues and adoptions, offering a wide variety of programs to assist pet owners in the community.

Their community pet pantry provides free supplies for those struggling to make ends meet. They have a state-of-the-art mobile veterinary clinic and offer low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics and community pet wellness events with free veterinary care.

They have a robust set of educational programs and offer behavioral help for owners struggling with issues like dog separation anxiety. They even have a program where community members facing crises like homelessness or hospitalization can have their pets temporarily cared for by the shelter.

“We want to keep people and pets together. The No. 1 reason pets are surrendered is usually because of some financial hardship,” Sarah said. “We can reduce the number of animals that don’t have homes by supporting the community as a whole.”

In 2024, AWLA placed 1,492 animals for adoption, vaccinated 1,742 pets, gave out 523 vouchers for pets to get spayed or neutered, and distributed over 65,000 pounds of pet food and supplies to those in need. With 60% of the budget coming from the community, donations are key to keeping these programs going.

“We’re so grateful for this donation,” Sarah said. “It will go a long way to help these animals out and the people in our community.”