I am honored to announce that our More Than a Pet campaign—which seeks to increase access to affordable veterinary care, pet food and pet-inclusive housing—has selected three heroes for their exceptional contributions in this work: Maria Teresa Montoya of Wichita, Kansas; Demonte Moore of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Lersie Feliciano of Miami, Florida.
I’m eager to tell you more about them. First, some background: Currently, more than 20 million pets across the U.S. experience poverty with their families. At Humane World for Animals, we believe that no one should have to give up a beloved pet because of hardship. For years, our programs in access to care, Pets for Life and Rural Area Veterinary Services have been transforming the lives of dogs, cats and other companion animals by closing the service gap that exists for people and pets in underserved areas. Recent studies show that programs like these are working because of specific kinds of strategies that bridge the gap between support services and families with pets.
For the second year running, we are pleased to honor three community heroes. Each hero finalist receives $5,000. Now your vote will help decide who will be named the 2025 More Than a Pet Community Hero and determine which community will receive an additional $10,000 grant to provide essential support services for people and pets. Our All Animals magazine staff interviewed each of these heroes to find out more about them:
The 2025 Community Hero Award Nominees
Courtney Gresik/Humane World for Animals
Maria Teresa Montoya
Wichita Animal Action League, Wichita, Kansas
When Maria Teresa Montoya moved to her neighborhood in 2023, met Kylee Wallentine of Wichita Animal Rescue League’s Pets for Life program and got the opportunity to volunteer, she said it was a gift, “for someone to give me a chance like this, to know that I exist.” Ever since, Montoya has helped the program distribute pet food and treats, told neighbors how they can get their animals spayed or neutered, translated for Spanish speakers at clinics and built trust between community members and Pets for Life.
“It really helps to have someone like Maria,” says Wallentine. “Her warm nature helps us bridge that gap.” Montoya, 65 and on disability after back and knee surgeries, cares for four of her own cats plus a Chihuahua puppy she adopted from neighbors. She also feeds 20 community cats and 15 community dogs. She established relationships with residents of a homeless camp and their animals, handing out food, clothes, toiletries, pet supplies, blankets, hats and gloves.
Twice unhoused, Montoya says she struggled during those periods to keep her three cats. The last of them died while in the care of a friend. “It killed me,” she says. “Because that’s all I had to come home to.” Montoya expects to keep volunteering as long as she can still walk and move her hands. “I’ve been there. If I can give back a little bit, that means a great deal to me.”
Steve McVeigh/Humane World for Animals
Lersie Feliciano
Miami Veterinary Foundation, Miami, Florida
Lersie Feliciano first encountered Cassie Vazquez, Pets for Life community outreach manager for Miami Veterinary Foundation, in 2021, when she attended a free clinic to get vaccinations for her 11-year-old Chihuahua, Lucy. Unspayed, the senior dog had developed mammary tumors. But the idea of getting Lucy, or any dog, spayed was unfamiliar to Feliciano, as it is to many other people in communities where spay/neuter services have not previously been available or accessible. Though Pets for Life offered to cover the cost, Feliciano was worried the surgery could be dangerous for Lucy. After conversations with Vazquez, Feliciano felt more confident and reassured. She decided to get Lucy spayed and told others about what she had learned.
Feliciano took her next Chihuahua, Gigi, to be spayed at 7 months to prevent tumors. She’s gone on to get all her family’s pets spayed and neutered and to encourage others to get veterinary care. “She comes across as a very kind person. She has connected a lot of families to our services,” Vazquez says. Feliciano says she simply looks around her neighborhood for animals in need and tells their owners about Pets for Life. “Once they know, they go.”
Lisa Michel-Weis/Wisconsin Humane Society
Demonte Moore
Wisconsin Humane Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Thirteen years ago, when Demonte Moore saw a Pets for Life flyer in his neighborhood, he quickly chased down the team to introduce his 2-year-old dog, Piper, a big pit terrier mix, and to volunteer. He was looking for low-cost spay surgery for Piper. Since then, Moore consistently lets people know about Pets for Life events and attends each one. Lisa Michel-Weis, senior director of community impact at the Wisconsin Humane Society, says Moore has provided a stepping stone into the neighborhood for the program. “Everyone knows Demonte. He’s just this young guy with a big smile. We didn’t have to knock on the door 10 times. People would be calling us, because he gave them our card.”
In addition to Piper, Moore now has four more dogs. He walks them two to three at a time, and uses every opportunity to tell people he meets about Pets for Life. Moore has also found adopters for a dozen dogs and cats. He helped his brother, Nelson, spay and neuter two dogs who Nelson found. Mocha and Smoke are now companions for Demonte and Nelson’s mom, who is sick at home.
During the COVID pandemic, Moore helped Pets for Life distribute pet food and supplies. “Where I come from, it’s not guaranteed that people help you. I just prefer to help because I’m an animal person.” Today, Moore says he watches as people he first informed about Pets for Life pass the word on to others. “It’s like an animal community now.”
Our More Than a Pet Campaign, which launched in 2023, amplifies awareness of inequity in access to care and pet ownership and raises funds for Pets for Life and Rural Area Veterinary Services. Thanks to the generosity of partners such as Smalls, Tractive and Hartz, and support from caring celebrities such as cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy and NBA All Star LaMelo Ball, we are in a stronger position to continue the momentum of this campaign to help keep pets and people together.
