COVID-19 has undoubtedly disrupted our way of living. However, after watching enough of the news, you start to see a pattern. When you look at the big picture, you start to see that, although the details of our lives have changed, the important things never have.

Think about the videos of drive-by birthday parades, graduation tributes, window visits with loved ones, and spontaneous neighborhood dance parties.

We may have canceled large parties, but families are still celebrating milestones. We’re just doing it differently.

We may have sent the children home from school, but the students are still learning very important lessons. We’re just doing it differently.

At SPCA Wake, we may have temporarily closed the adoption center, but we’re still saving lives and helping pets and people. We’re just doing it differently.

SPCA Wake’s AniMeals program delivers bi-monthly pet food and supplies to homebound seniors and disabled adults in our community. When social distancing guidelines mean visitors aren’t allowed, companionship from our furry family members becomes more important than ever.

The AniMeals program makes it possible for these pet owners on a fixed income to pay for medications and meals without having to worry if there will be enough to feed their beloved pets.

To help even more pet owners, we recently partnered with Meals on Wheels of Wake County. Nearly 50 pets regularly receive deliveries through the AniMeals program. With this new partnership, 148 dogs and 88 cats are receiving supplies. These pets belong to people who would otherwise put themselves in danger by going to the store for pet food.

SPCA Wake is still helping those pets who don’t have families caring for them. Just last week we took in a litter of six kittens. A Good Samaritan discovered the litter and realized they were all sick. Our medical team has already started treating them for intestinal parasites, live fleas, and upper respiratory infections. Some of the kittens are unable to open their eyes because the infection is so severe.

Thanks to donor support, we were able to start them on medications and send them home with knowledgeable foster parents. These kittens are just six of the 50 pets we have taken in in the last two weeks. That’s 50 pets who aren’t out there fending for themselves. 50 pets who have another chance to become beloved family members.

In that same two-week period, 54 pets have found new homes. SPCA Wake’s website displays adoptable pets 24/7. When someone sees a pet they’re interested in, they fill out an adopter survey and a member of our adoption team gets in touch with them. They’ll learn everything we know about the pet they’ve picked out. If they’re still interested, we’ll schedule an appointment for them to meet the pet at the adoption center. Appointments are spaced out so adopters don’t have to worry about running into other people during their visit. If the meeting goes well, the adopter can leave with their new best friend.

These days, supply deliveries involve gloves and masks. Instead of a nice conversation, volunteers leave supplies by the door, and recipients typically wave from the windows. Adopters learn about pets over the phone and meet them in a mostly-empty adoption center where they are the only family in the building.

Despite all that, pets are being fed, rescued, and loved. The details are different, but the important things haven’t changed.