Save the Date, Save a Life! Get Ready for SFAfA’s Annual Penthouse Pawty
SFAfA is hosting a penthouse fundraiser to support its continuing work serving dogs and families in need. photo: AdobeStock
You take your sick or injured pet to the vet, seeking comfort and care. Then you see the estimated bill, and your heart sinks. Can I do this? Are there alternatives? You quickly run the numbers in your head to see if you can afford it. For many Americans, the answer is no.
Sixty percent of adults in the U.S. do not have $1,000 set aside for an emergency of any kind, let alone a vet bill. And with the average emergency veterinary bill running anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500, the math simply doesn’t work for many of us.
Now imagine it’s a life-or-death situation. You’re being asked to make a decision about your beloved pet - a member of your family, a being you’ve committed to caring for, and that you love beyond words. Without treatment, they will die. What will you do? What can your vet do? You might be able to ask friends and family for help, or try crowdfunding, or turn to a credit card. But what if none of those options are available?
That’s where San Francisco Aid for Animals (SFAfA) comes in. We’re a nonprofit that raises money year-round and grants it to participating veterinarians. Those veterinarians pledge to match their grants in goods and services - anywhere from 25% to 100% - to provide care for those who can’t afford it. That means every dollar donated goes even further toward saving a beloved animal’s life. Pet guardians are only asked to pay what they can afford.
SAFfA is unique. To our knowledge, there is no other group like us in the country. An all-volunteer nonprofit organization, we’re dedicated to ensuring that pets and their families in the greater Bay Area can stay together through life’s most challenging moments. Our mission is to make urgent, life-saving veterinary care affordable for families who might otherwise have to surrender or euthanize their pet.
Through this grant program, a sick or injured dog, cat, or turtle - any beloved companion animal - can receive the care they need to stay in their forever home. And we’re not just saving lives. We’re preserving the sanctity and benefits of the human–animal bond, which often grows even stronger after surviving a difficult time together.
Since its start in 2011 in the wake of the 2008 recession, SFAfA has continued to grow. Today, we have over 150 participating veterinarians, have donated nearly $2 million, and have saved more than 900 beloved pets. The need has been so great - and our model so effective - that we’ve now expanded to serve the entire Bay Area as well as victims of wildfires from Santa Rosa to Paradise.
All of which is a big wind up to invite you to our largest annual fundraising event coming up later this fall: the SFAfA Penthouse Pawty, Friday, November 14, 6 p.m.-8 p.m., at the Salesforce Tower Penthouse, 415 Mission Street, in downtown San Francisco.
Come enjoy stunning views, delicious food and drink, and a silent auction of exclusive items, all while supporting an incredible charity right here in your own backyard. To purchase tickets, visit SFAfA.org. But hurry - attendance is limited to 250 people and last year sold out, so don’t wait!
If you can’t join us at the Penthouse Pawty, there are still many ways to help:
Donate directly through our website at SFAfA.org.
Ask your employer if they have a matching gift program to multiply your impact.
Consider becoming a volunteer with us.
Honor a departed pet by making a donation in their memory on our Memory Wall, where you can share a photo and message about your beloved friend, joining others like Little Gray, Tulip, Professor, Theodor Bear, and Peeve, whose memories continue to inspire our mission.
We hope to see you at the Penthouse Pawty in November. Together, we can keep pets and their families together when they need each other most.