In line for a $25,000 grant, ASTRO (Animal Shelter to Riverbank and Oakdale) Foundation is set to receive the grant investment from national nonprofit Petco Love during a special celebration at the Riverbank Petco, 2341 Claribel Road, Riverbank, on Monday, July 25. The noontime ceremony will recognize and support ASTRO members for their lifesaving work for animals in Riverbank and Oakdale.

Petco Love is a national nonprofit leading change for pets by harnessing the power of love to make communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since its founding in 1999, Petco Love has invested $330 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts.

“Our investment in the ASTRO Foundation is part of more than $15M in investments recently announced by Petco Love to power local organizations across the country as part of our commitment to create a future in which no pet is unnecessarily euthanized,” said Susanne Kogut, president of Petco Love. “Our local investments are only part of our strategy to empower animal lovers to drive lifesaving change right alongside us. We recently celebrated the one-year launch anniversary of Petco Love Lost, a national lost and found database that uses pet facial recognition technology to simplify the search for lost pets.”

“This incredible investment by Petco Love ensures that we can continue our efforts towards the betterment of animal welfare in our local communities by rescuing and rehoming as many cats and dogs as possible from Riverbank and Oakdale,” said Megan Scoullar, Director of Adoption Services for the ASTRO Foundation. “These funds will directly offset the veterinary expenses we invest in each of our rescue animals when administering vaccinations and preventatives, altering and microchipping in preparation of our search for their forever homes.”

The ASTRO Foundation is a nonprofit animal welfare organization dedicated to rescuing homeless dogs and cats from the Oakdale/Riverbank area. By working with a network of volunteers, foster caregivers, and local veterinarians, ASTRO Foundation is able to rescue hundreds of animals every year. The organization also recently opened the ASTRO Foundation Adoption Center at 157 N. Fifth Ave., in Oakdale. Since 2012, the ASTRO Foundation has rescued and rehomed approximately 800 cats and dogs each year. So far in 2022, ASTRO has successfully rehomed over 300 cats and dogs.

For more information about the ASTRO Foundation visit astrofoundation.org. Learn more about Petco Love by visiting petcolove.org.