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More than 30 local families benefited from free spay and neuter surgeries for their pets at Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton, as part of a special campaign across the Bay Area one weekend last month.
“Champions for Pet Health: Communities Partnering for Wellness and Spay & Neuter” brought together funding and resources for nine animal support organizations to waive fees for surgeries, vaccinations and microchips to help address a backlog in the region while also reducing the number of homeless cats and dogs.
“We believe every pet deserves access to essential veterinary care — not just when adoption is the goal, but as a cornerstone of community welfare,” said Melanie Sadek, president and CEO of Valley Humane.
“Families who love their pets shouldn’t be forced to compromise on care because of cost or other barriers,” she added in a post-campaign press release. “This event was about more than surgeries: it’s about giving pets a healthier life and giving our community the resources to keep them safe at home.”
The collaboration held Dec. 6 and 7 exemplifies the good work done year-round by Valley Humane Society, one of 10 Tri-Valley nonprofit beneficiaries of our 2025-26 Pleasanton Weekly Holiday Fund – which continues for two more weeks.
The need for animal care support remains pronounced in the Tri-Valley, Sadek told me in an email exchange before Christmas.
“Many families struggled this year with the rising cost of care for their beloved animals — something we expect to continue next year — yet Valley Humane remains committed to keeping people and pets together,” Sadek said, with the calendar turning to 2026. “Thanks to our community’s generosity, we can prevent unnecessary surrenders and support our most vulnerable neighbors by providing food, veterinary support, and a safety net when they need it most.”
Valley Humane does so much for the pet community, facilitating adoptions of dogs and cats, offering food through its AniMeals Pet Food Pantry program, coordinating emotional support for people through its Canine Comfort Pet-Assisted Therapy initiative and raising critical awareness for their cause and associated issues.
But perhaps their most critical work is being done at its Phil Scholz Veterinary Surgery Center on Spring Street in downtown Pleasanton, where they assist area rescue groups and shelters with spay and neuter surgeries, provide medical care for dogs and cats in its charge and now taking on public clients for veterinary services.
That’s where the nonprofit coordinated 69 spay/neuter operations on the first weekend of December during the “Champions for Pet Health” campaign.
Sponsor Tony La Russa, the retired Hall of Fame baseball manager of the Oakland Athletics and other teams, was on hand with his daughter Bianca at Valley Humane to promote accessible veterinary care during the event.
His La Russa Rescue Champions was among four national foundations sponsoring the campaign, joining the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation, Maddie’s Fund and BISSELL Pet Foundation.
All told, the partner organizations delivered more than 600 spay and neuter surgeries over the two days, thanks to the national foundations and local supporters.
Participating in “Champions for Pet Health” is truly representative of the approach Valley Humane takes day in and day out. As the nonprofit touts of its mission, “Whether you’d like to adopt an animal, share your passion for pets, or meet like-minded people, Valley Humane Society is Your Means to a Friend.”
Even though we’ve entered the new year, there is still time to donate to help Valley Humane and nine vital Tri-Valley nonprofits through our 2025-26 Holiday Fund – like my wife and I did earlier this week.
The other beneficiaries are Axis Community Health, CityServe of the Tri-Valley, Culinary Angels, Goodness Village, Open Heart Kitchen, Pleasanton Partnerships in Education Foundation, Sunflower Hill, Tri-Valley Haven and Tri-Valley REACH.
The Holiday Fund offers a great bang for the buck for residents, businesses and community groups interested in contributing to multiple charity causes at once. These nonprofits do such important work in critical areas of need in our community: nutrition, health care, housing, senior services, domestic violence and education.
The Holiday Fund is managed by our Embarcadero Media Foundation, itself a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so donations are fully tax deductible and eligible for corporate matching, and every single dollar raised will go directly to the beneficiaries (split evenly among the 10) because we cover all administration and other expenses at no cost.
We humbly ask you to consider contributing through the third weekend in January. The grants are then typically distributed to the nonprofits in late March or April, providing a nice infusion of funding during a slower fundraising time of spring. Learn more at PleasantonWeekly.com/holiday_fund.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the associate publisher and editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
