South County Cats of Maple Valley, today announced it has been awarded a  grant from the Petco Foundation to fund a transport vehicle which will support its spay and neuter programs.

South County Cats is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit spay/neuter assistance organization serving south King County.  Since 2006, more than 6,800 cat spay/neuter services have been facilitated through South County Cats’ programs, which include companion cat spay/neuter vouchers for limited-income families and disabled or senior citizens, a community trap-neuter-return program, spay/neuter services for foster cats and kittens before adoption, and a partnership with Pasado’s Safe Haven Spay Station.

The Petco Foundation grant was used to purchase a retired King County Metro carpool van, which will be utilized for frequent trips to spay/neuter clinics, as well as transporting cats, kittens and supplies to the Petco store in Covington for adoption events, transporting trap-neuter-return cats throughout the community, and transporting cats to and from partner organizations and shelters, community events and fundraisers.

“The van will be a valuable asset to our organization and our programs. We are extremely grateful to the Petco Foundation and Petco store in Covington for their continued support of our efforts to save lives through spay and neuter,” said Sally Halela, Founder and Director.

The Petco Foundation has served as a voice for companion animals across the country since 1999.  Today, with more than 9,500 local animal-welfare partners across the country, the Petco Foundation donates approximately $15 million a year to make a difference in the lives of millions of animals.  The organization is funded through donations raised during fundraisers conducted in Petco’s more than 1,200 stores across the country, as well as from Petco associates, vendors and corporate contributions.  Money raised helps fund animal-welfare organizations, spay and neuter efforts, animal-assisted therapy programs and humane education.  The majority of the funds raised remain in the communities where they were raised, and the Petco Foundation is also involved in many national animal-welfare efforts.

In 2012, the Petco Foundation surpassed $100 million in funds raised for companion animals since the organization was created.  To learn more, visit www.petcofoundation.org