The San Francisco SPCA Community Ambassador Program is an initiative designed to meet pet guardians where they are—both literally and figuratively. Inspired by human healthcare models that prioritize local relationships and accessibility, the program takes a community-led approach to expanding veterinary care in San Francisco, Stockton, and other parts of California’s Central Valley. By training trusted community members as ambassadors, we are working to ensure that more pets receive lifesaving care and to reshape how veterinary services reach the families who need them most.
Veterinary care can be out of reach for many pet guardians in under-resourced communities (places where no veterinary services are available nearby). The SF SPCA Community Ambassadors are here to change that. These individuals are deeply connected to the neighborhoods they serve, providing outreach, sharing critical information, and administering basic treatments like vaccines and flea prevention. Their work will directly impact the health and well-being of thousands of animals, keeping beloved pets healthy and with their families while also reducing the number of animals entering shelters.
How Community Ambassadors expand access to veterinary care
In many communities across California’s Central Valley, accessing veterinary care isn’t just about finding a clinic—it’s about navigating a web of systemic barriers. Transportation, cost, and a lack of trust in available services often prevent pet guardians from getting the care their animals need. But solutions don’t always come from the top down. Instead, real change can be driven by people within their own communities—neighbors helping neighbors.
This idea became a reality when the Community Ambassador Program launched in 2024, funded, in part, by Maddie’s Fund, a national family foundation established by Dave and Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals. The program kicked off in San Francisco’s Excelsior District and Earlimart—a rural, unincorporated community in Tulare County. Both areas are historically under-resourced, with high rates of disease and animals surrendered to shelters. “The Community Ambassador Program is changing how we can partner with communities to transform the accessibility of veterinary care,” said Amy Zeifang, from Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership Team. “Community Ambassadors will expand not only how care is provided, but importantly, who provides care.”
This program is a grassroots initiative that empowers local leaders to connect pet guardians with basic veterinary care. Ambassadors are more than just liaisons; they are community members, trusted by their neighbors, and deeply familiar with their communities’ challenges. By embedding veterinary outreach within the fabric of these neighborhoods, they make care more accessible—one conversation, one relationship, and one pet at a time.
Melissa Gómez, who grew up in San Francisco’s Mission and Excelsior districts, is the SF SPCA Community Workforce Manager and local Community Ambassador. “After training, Community Ambassadors can administer the DAPP vaccine for dogs, flea treatments, and dewormer,” she said. “We sign people up for subsidized spay and neuter, help book veterinary appointments, and offer bags of food, collars, leashes, and muzzles, which are sometimes required for dogs entering homeless shelters.”
Listening to the community, learning from experience
When the SF SPCA first expanded its efforts to improve access to care in the Central Valley, transportation to veterinary care was anticipated to be a challenge—but it proved even more significant than expected. This quickly became clear to our Community Ambassadors, who, through their deep-rooted connections, identified transportation as one of the most urgent barriers facing pet guardians.
One such case involved a pet guardian in Tulare County caring for 13 chihuahuas, none of whom were spayed or neutered. Due to his poor health and inability to reach veterinary care, his precious pack had grown far beyond his original intent. Unable to travel to a clinic, he faced an overwhelming situation that could have quickly spiraled further. He reached out to Tulare County Animal Services for help, which kicked off a relationship with our Community Ambassadors. Their involvement ensured he received the assistance he needed—not just in securing spay/ neuter services, but in feeling supported rather than judged.
Tulare County Animal Services Manager Cassie Heffington looks forward to measuring the impact on her municipal shelter. “Success would mean a reduction in shelter intake, service calls, bite calls, and loose dogs—and therefore, a reduction in shelter euthanasia.” With these milestones in sight, the SF SPCA is confident we’ll be able to expand the program into more San Francisco and Central Valley communities and provide inspiration for shelters and animal-welfare organizations nationwide.
Trust and representation matter
Many pet guardians in under-resourced areas want veterinary care for their animals but feel discouraged or uncertain about where to turn. Some fear judgment over their circumstances, while others have had negative past experiences with institutions that don’t fully understand their challenges. Community Ambassadors bridge this gap by being both trusted neighbors and informed guides to help animal guardians navigate their options without fear or hesitation.
Because they are from the very neighborhoods they serve, these ambassadors understand the cultural and logistical realities at play. They share the same lived experiences as those they assist, making it easier to have honest conversations about pet care, financial constraints, and available resources. This peer-to-peer trust is essential in breaking down barriers that traditional outreach efforts often struggle to overcome.
A grassroots network of support transforms a former veterinary desert
Word-of-mouth remains one of the most powerful tools for spreading awareness, and Community Ambassadors are active participants in the everyday lives of their neighborhoods. Whether at local markets, community centers, or neighborhood gatherings, they share information about affordable veterinary services, upcoming clinics, and emergency pet-care options. Their visibility ensures that when an animal guardian faces a crisis, they know where to turn.
Carrie Morales, who was born and raised in Tulare County, is a Community Ambassador in her hometown of Earlimart. She shared that news of the program is traveling among families and neighbors. “It’s really nice to see how word gets around in this small town,” she said. “We met with one family and started with vaccinations and then spay and neuter. They told their cousins, and we got their animals vaccinated. Then we learned their neighbor has a cat-population problem. Now we’re getting those cats fixed.”
Through this grassroots approach, veterinary care is no longer an inaccessible service located miles away—it has become a shared community effort built on relationships and mutual support. The work of these ambassadors proves that solutions don’t just come from institutions; they come from within the community itself. And as they continue to lead the way, more pets and their families are getting the care they need, when and where they need it most.
This story originally appeared in the spring 2025 issue of Our Animals magazine. Download a copy to read more.