ASPCA Provides More Than $30,000 in Grants to Aid Organizations for Disaster Preparedness and Response

NEW YORK--The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced it will provide seven organizations, including the Little Fork Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company, Inc. in Rixeyville, Va., with more than $30,000 in grant funding dedicated to providing aid for groups affected by recent severe weather incidents or helping improve disaster preparedness measures in the community.

The Little Fork Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company received an $8,000 grant to purchase a large animal rescue trailer that allows the fire department to enhance its large animal and equine rescue capabilities.

"This grant will allow our volunteer fire and rescue company to purchase the specialized equipment that is desperately needed to perform technical large animal rescues," said Chief Doug Monaco of Little Fork Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company. "We have 12 volunteers who have trained to become technicians and have been called upon three times to assist on animal rescues in the past eight months. These funds will also allow us to purchase transportation equipment to use at the scene of an incident and safeguard rescued animals until they can be moved to a safe location."

"The ASPCA assisted in numerous disaster response operations from April through September this year, and we wanted to continue to offer assistance with funding to help communities that have been affected by disasters, or are taking necessary steps to prepare for a disaster," added Allison Cardona, program development and grants officer for the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team. "We are especially supportive of groups such as the Little Fork Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company who are committed to the welfare of animals. We hope that our grant will enable them to care for and protect countless more animals in its community."

Additionally, the following grant recipients received funds related to disaster preparedness and response:

• Montgomery County Animal Rescue in Red Oak, Iowa received $7,000 to provide kennels for stray and abandoned animals displaced by the recent Missouri River flooding;

• Florida State Animal Response Coalition in Bushnell, Fla. received $5,000 to train volunteers and instructors to enhance statewide disaster and response;

• Austin Humane Society in Austin, Texas received $5,000 to purchase food, medical supplies, and other resources to provide care and treatment for animals affected by the wildfires in nearby Bastrop;

• Equamore Foundation in Ashland, Ore. received $4,000 to provide large animal rescue and disaster response training for law enforcement officers, emergency first responders, search and rescue personnel, and animal rescue groups throughout the state;

• Florida English Bulldog Rescue in Odessa, Fla. received $1,200 to purchase a generator to serve as a back-up and power its facility in an event of a disaster; and

• Animal Evac Volunteers, Inc. in Pine, Colo. received $1,000 to purchase an emergency animal transport trailer to relocate a large number of animals to safety.

The ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team frequently responds to natural disasters, including major events like this year's tornado in Joplin, Mo., as well as Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The ASPCA is commonly called upon by state and municipal governments and other animal welfare agencies to lend expertise during large-scale animal rescue operations. This year alone, the ASPCA has assisted more than 20,000 animals in communities throughout the U.S. that were severely affected by tornadoes, flooding and storms.

For information on disaster preparedness and safety tips from the ASPCA, please click here.

About the Little Fork Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company
The members of the Little Fork Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company proudly protect the quality of life, social, economic and environmental infrastructure of the northern end of Culpeper County. Located in rural Rixeyville, Virginia, the Company also assists other Departments in Culpeper, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties.