Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
Our speakers today are from Stray Cat Alliance straycatalliance.org
Stephanie Medrano, Director of Operations
April Gaspar, Community-based Programs Manager
The innovative Safe at Home program saves the lives of kittens, who are the most often euthanized in shelters. Unweaned, newborn kittens are an estimated 20% to 40% of the cats impounded in municipal shelters. Because they require bottle feeding and round-the-clock continuous care which most shelters do not have the staff or resources to provide, these kittens are most at risk of euthanasia.
Safe at Home empowers community members to serve as foster care givers, playing an integral part in saving animal lives. At the South Los Angeles shelter, Stray Cat Alliance community engagement counselors intercept people, before kittens are impounded, and mentor and support them as fosters, providing training on all aspects from bottle feeding through adoption. The program also supplies all food and medical care. This is one of the few programs of its kind in the United States, but it doesn't have to be! The hope is to expand to as many communities as possible.
April and Stephanie will share how their lived experiences inform their engagement with community members. It can be discouraging for community members to seek help at the shelter and be told they're doing something wrong. They take the time to talk to people about the reality of rescue, shelters, fostering, adopting, TNR, and how this work can't be done without the public's help. They encourage everyone to become an advocate in their community and share practical ways to start.
Key Takeaways:
1. Meet people where they're at: skills, knowledge.
2. Trust your community! You can't do this work alone.
3. Look internally and set your goal based on your capacity.
Know that even just 10 cats rescued from the shelter, ARE 10 CATS RESCUED! Celebrate your wins.
To comment or ask more questions about this meeting, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations22326
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and question of the day
03:09 Presentation
Related Links:
FREE online courses on Maddie’s University:
Foster Care university.maddiesfund.org/foster-collections
Feline Lifesaving university.maddiesfund.org/products/feline-lifesaving-curriculum#tab-product_tab_maddie_s_u_courses
Plus search our catalog for many presentations on building community relationships and resources! university.maddiesfund.org/catalog
Our speakers today are from Stray Cat Alliance straycatalliance.org
Stephanie Medrano, Director of Operations
April Gaspar, Community-based Programs Manager
The innovative Safe at Home program saves the lives of kittens, who are the most often euthanized in shelters. Unweaned, newborn kittens are an estimated 20% to 40% of the cats impounded in municipal shelters. Because they require bottle feeding and round-the-clock continuous care which most shelters do not have the staff or resources to provide, these kittens are most at risk of euthanasia.
Safe at Home empowers community members to serve as foster care givers, playing an integral part in saving animal lives. At the South Los Angeles shelter, Stray Cat Alliance community engagement counselors intercept people, before kittens are impounded, and mentor and support them as fosters, providing training on all aspects from bottle feeding through adoption. The program also supplies all food and medical care. This is one of the few programs of its kind in the United States, but it doesn't have to be! The hope is to expand to as many communities as possible.
April and Stephanie will share how their lived experiences inform their engagement with community members. It can be discouraging for community members to seek help at the shelter and be told they're doing something wrong. They take the time to talk to people about the reality of rescue, shelters, fostering, adopting, TNR, and how this work can't be done without the public's help. They encourage everyone to become an advocate in their community and share practical ways to start.
Key Takeaways:
1. Meet people where they're at: skills, knowledge.
2. Trust your community! You can't do this work alone.
3. Look internally and set your goal based on your capacity.
Know that even just 10 cats rescued from the shelter, ARE 10 CATS RESCUED! Celebrate your wins.
To comment or ask more questions about this meeting, please visit https://maddies.fund/communityconversations22326
About Community Conversations, hosted by Maddie’s Fund: When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, animal sheltering transformed overnight. Foster-based sheltering, home-based employees and volunteers, along with collaboration galvanized our communities. The pandemic, along with social injustice, has motivated our industry to look at how we partner with our communities and confront our own biases. Shelter and rescue staff across the country began talking on a weekly basis, offering support and innovative ideas to do things differently. To learn more about these calls, visit forum.maddiesfund.org/communityconversations
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and question of the day
03:09 Presentation
Related Links:
FREE online courses on Maddie’s University:
Foster Care university.maddiesfund.org/foster-collections
Feline Lifesaving university.maddiesfund.org/products/feline-lifesaving-curriculum#tab-product_tab_maddie_s_u_courses
Plus search our catalog for many presentations on building community relationships and resources! university.maddiesfund.org/catalog
