About Us

When resources are available, Mercy's Community Pet Food Bank serves as a critical safety net for pet owners facing financial hardship. The program assists elderly, disabled, and unhoused individuals, as well as families experiencing difficult circumstances, who may otherwise be forced to surrender their beloved pets.

Without this support, many people face an impossible choice between meeting their own basic needs and providing food for their animal companions. By helping families keep their pets fed, we help keep animals in loving homes and out of shelters.

Local agencies and community organizations, including 211/411 assistance services, Marion Animal Shelter, and Marion Animal Control, regularly refer individuals to this vital program.

In 2024, Mercy's Community Pet Food Bank helped feed more than 12,000 animals, including:

• 7,323 cats
• 4,758 dogs
• 154 other animals

This program continues to make a meaningful difference for animals and the people who love them throughout our community.

Mercy's Emergency Community Assistance Program helps animals in urgent need of medical care and the families who are facing the greatest financial hardship.

When funding is available, the program provides assistance for veterinary treatment by coordinating care through Animal Hospital of Marion. This support helps ensure that animals receive timely medical attention while reducing the financial burden on their families during times of crisis.

For many pet owners, unexpected veterinary expenses can be overwhelming. This program helps bridge that gap, providing hope and assistance when it is needed most.

In 2024, Mercy's Emergency Community Assistance Program helped 245 animals and their families receive the care and support they needed.

Through this program, Mercy works to keep beloved pets healthy, alleviate suffering, and keep animals with the families who love them.

Mercy's Forever Foster Program provides lifelong care for senior and special-needs animals, ensuring they can live with dignity, comfort, and love.

Many of the animals in this program have been abandoned, surrendered, or face medical and behavioral challenges that make adoption unlikely. While they may not find traditional forever homes, Mercy is committed to giving them the opportunity to live safely and peacefully in caring foster homes for the remainder of their lives.

The program supports animals with a wide range of medical conditions and special needs, including:

• Diabetes
• Blindness
• Heart disease
• Seizure disorders
• Incontinence
• Mobility challenges
• Other chronic medical conditions

Through the Forever Foster Program, Mercy provides ongoing veterinary care, medications, specialized diets, and daily support to help these animals enjoy the highest possible quality of life.

In 2024, Mercy provided care for 42 senior and special-needs animals. On average, more than 30 animals remain in our Forever Foster Program at any given time, receiving the compassion, medical care, and stability they deserve.

Because every animal matters, Mercy remains committed to giving these vulnerable pets the comfort, dignity, and love they need throughout their journey.

Mercy's Adoption Program helps find safe, loving homes for animals who have been surrendered by their families, abandoned, displaced, or left without a place to call home.

Each animal receives care, support, and a chance to thrive while living in a foster home as we work to match them with the right adopter. Our goal is not only to place animals in homes, but to ensure they find lasting families where they will be loved and cared for throughout their lives.

In 2024, Mercy helped approximately 211 animals find new homes. As community needs continue to grow, the number of animals entering our program continues to increase.

Every adoption creates space for Mercy to help another animal in need, providing a second chance for pets and the families who welcome them home.

Mercy's Shelter a Dog Program provides dog houses to dogs living outdoors who lack adequate protection from the elements. These shelters help keep dogs safe, dry, and more comfortable during extreme heat, cold, rain, and other inclement weather conditions.

This program is especially important because many outdoor dogs in our community have limited access to appropriate shelter. By providing dog houses, Mercy helps improve their safety, well-being, and quality of life.

In 2024, Mercy provided more than 19 dog houses to dogs in need throughout McDowell County.

Each dog house offers more than shelter. It provides protection, comfort, and a safer environment for a dog who might otherwise be exposed to the elements.

Mercy's TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return) Program helps humanely reduce community cat overpopulation while improving the health and welfare of feral and free-roaming cats.

Cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their managed colonies, where they continue to be cared for by colony caregivers. This approach prevents unwanted litters, reduces animal suffering, and helps stabilize community cat populations over time.

In 2024, Mercy assisted more than 200 cats through our TNVR program.

By preventing future litters and improving the health of community cats, this program plays a vital role in reducing overpopulation and improving the lives of animals throughout McDowell County.

Mercy's Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Program helps address pet overpopulation by making these essential services more accessible to local families.

Spaying and neutering is one of the most effective ways to reduce the number of unwanted litters, decrease the number of animals entering shelters, and prevent many of the challenges that lead to animal homelessness, neglect, and suffering. By helping pet owners access affordable services, Mercy works toward long-term solutions that benefit both animals and the community.

In 2024, Mercy helped provide spay and neuter services for nearly 400 animals.

Every animal altered through this program helps prevent future overpopulation, improves animal health and welfare, and reduces the number of pets at risk of entering shelters or living without adequate care.