One-and-a-half-year-old pitbull mix Diamond and her new pups were among the furry friends lined up outside GRACE Marketplace, hugging a shopping cart.
Diamond and her litter are some of the 20 pets being treated by the mobile outreach van of St. Francis Pet Care. The nonprofit pet clinic in Gainesville has partnered with GRACE Marketplace, a one-stop shop for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness at 3055 NE 28th Drive to provide a monthly wellness clinic for pet owners .
While many of the pets seen by the mobile van are one-time visitors, Diamond was cared for while pregnant during a previous visit to the GRACE Marketplace. Wednesday, she and her litter were treated with vaccines and a general examination.
Gifted to the nonprofit organization the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the vehicle with two stations and an exam room provides space for St. Francis Pet Care to bring pet services to low-income residents of North Central Florida.
In addition to its monthly GRACE Marketplace clinic, St. Francis Pet Care two more outreach clinics in partnership with local organizations: Southwest Advocacy Group and Twisted Oaks Rescue.
The goal of the clinics is to provide medical care to furry companions who may not be able to afford transportation to a permanent clinic. The mobile van goes to the homeless shelter every third Wednesday of the month.
Pets at the outreach clinic are treated by Sarah Wingfield, clinic manager at St. Francis Pet Care, and a team of volunteers. Wingfield has volunteered with the organization since 2018 and became a manager in 2020.
“We are driven by our mission,” Wingfield said. “Our mission at St. Francis is to keep people and pets together for as long as happy a life as they can, so we want pets to be happy and healthy.”
The outreach work of St. Francis Pet Care offers more than just vaccines, heartworms, flea prevention and cleaning. Wingfield said staff are stressing the importance of maintaining vaccination statuses for pets to avoid a public health issue.
“We’re trying to encourage them to be responsible with their pet ownership as well as the benefit of getting free services,” Wingfield said.
Similar to the nonprofit clinic’s mission, Jacob Schaffer, GRACE Marketplace’s animal welfare coordinator, works to keep GRACE Marketplace pets and owners happy and healthy.
“The animal welfare program is to…educate [pet owners] in what animal welfare is,” Schaffer said. “It makes a lot of people smile when they see their animals getting the care they need.”
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The animal welfare program provides GRACE Marketplace pets with the supplies and medication they need between visits to St. Francis Pet Care in wellness.
“St. Francis is so important because it offers services to these pets that they wouldn’t normally be able to get, whether it’s from no money or no transportation or both,” Schaffer said.
Founded in September 2007, St. was born. Francis Pet Care from St. Francis House, a Gainesville homeless shelter and soup kitchen at 413 S Main St. It was created as a nonprofit organization that provides weekly clinical care for the pets of people experiencing homelessness, veterans and very low-income residents of North central Florida.
Through grants, fundraising and community support, St. Francis Pet Care its facilities are now open to the public with reduced charges and fees, said Dr. Lawrence Garcia, the medical director at St. Francis Pet Care. It moved to its new building on Southeast Fourth Place in August 2019.
Lauren Murphy, a 21-year-old UF zoology and art senior, originally worked at St. Francis Pet Care as a volunteer until he became a senior technician in June. He shares the same passion for animal health and welfare as his clients do, he said.
“Money shouldn’t affect your relationship with a pet,” says Murphy. “Everyone can love a pet equally regardless of their financial status and we shouldn’t limit who can have a pet and who can’t based on who can afford it.”
Sophia Viera, an 18-year-old UF animal sciences freshman, began volunteering this week at St. Francis Pet Care. Viera was looking for volunteer opportunities and was drawn to its cause.
“I like [St. Francis Pet Care] because … it helps a low-income community and veterans,” Viera said. “The mission is special.”
As one of its main features, the wellness clinic provides exams and vaccinations to prevent serious medical issues.
“If the owners are educated and provide preventative care, you can avoid a lot of things,” Wingfield said.
Brenda Kallak, a 63-year-old Gainesville resident, has been a regular at the clinic since she and her husband moved to Gainesville from Arizona in September 2023.
While on a checkup for his dog Cody James in St. Francis Pet Care, the staff encouraged and taught Kallak how to continue to care for his injured puppy.
“These guys are amazing,” Kallak said. “I felt they really cared about the animal and not just the money.”
Launched by St. Francis Pet Care launched its new outreach program in Keystone Heights in October in partnership with Twisted Oaks Rescue, a pet service at 7637 El Dorado Ave., Keystone Heights, FL.
The nonprofit clinic recently became part of the Atlanta Humane Society’s affordable veterinary clinic branch called Remedy: Yout Community Vet. According to the website of St. Francis Pet Care, the merger of the two organizations will impact more pets and people in North Central Florida.
Contact Molly Seghi at [email protected]. Follow him to X @molly_seghi.
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Molly Seghi is a first-year journalism major at UF and a Fall 2023 Avenue Reporter. When not writing or journaling, she can be found at a live music event or working on her podcast “An Aural Account.”
