🐾 A Giving Tuesday Story: Change Starts with a Simple Surgery

In Mississippi, too many animals are born into uncertainty. Our state has an overwhelming pet overpopulation crisis and that’s where MS SPAN comes in. As a local, trusted nonprofit, we’ve made it our mission to transform the future for thousands of cats and dogs by providing affordable, high-quality spay and neuter services through our Big Fix Clinic and wellness center.

Every year, countless litters are born simply because pet owners can’t afford to fix their animals and many of these little ones never find a home. By helping pets live healthier lives, MS SPAN is also helping stem the tide of suffering. Spayed and neutered pets live longer, are less likely to roam or fight, and significantly reduce the number of unwanted litters.

Since our founding, MS SPAN has performed tens of thousands of sterilization surgeries, and the impact is real. When we fixed our 108,000th pet at the Big Fix Clinic, it wasn’t just a number. It was a turning point and proof that our community can come together to save lives.

This Giving Tuesday, we have a chance to honor Maria’s wish: to prevent suffering and give every cat and dog a better life. Thanks to Maria and an additional $10,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor, every dollar you donate will stretch twice as far. That means double the surgeries, double the care, double the hope.

Maria's Story:

Maria was born in Italy and shared her heart and home with many feline companions (and even a couple dogs) during her lifetime. As a little girl, she lived through WWII. During this time, her family had a white cat named "Snow", who brought joy and laughter to them during a difficult period in their lives. As an adult, Maria adopted "Punkin", a stray cat who walked into her Vet's home one afternoon. Punkin had a remarkable personality and proved to be a perfect candidate as a blood donor for other kitty clients. After Punkin retired, she had a wonderful life with Maria. Out of all her feline family members, Punkin was Maria's favorite - her soul cat. When she was 87 years old, Maria adopted "Cutes", who was 20 years old. The two enjoyed almost two years together before Cutes crossed over the rainbow bridge.

It bothered Maria that there were so many kittens and cats without homes. Prevention through spay and neuter programs is the best way to curb the population growth. It is our great privilege to share Maria's legacy with you, through this matching financial contribution, in support of your ongoing efforts to save lives through prevention. This gift is to be used to fund your spay and neuter program to offset spay and neuter costs for feline guardians and community cat caretakers.

Because... EVERY cat counts

Your generosity will help us:

Prevent future litters of kittens and puppies
Save space in overcrowded shelters
Give more pets a chance at a safe, loving home
Support low-income pet owners who want to do the right thing

When you give to MS SPAN this Giving Tuesday, you’re not just donating, you’re making a long-term investment in compassion and community. You’re helping us build a Mississippi where fewer pets are homeless and more paws are protected for good.

Join us. Double your impact. Save more lives.

Giving Tuesday 2025

Give today. Change lives forever.