Missouri teen raising money to keep pets and families together

By Grace Smith

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — A Missouri teen has spent the last year raising thousands of dollars to keep pets and families together.

Jack Adel presented KC Pet Projects, ‘Keep ‘Em Together,’ with a $5,200 check and another $3,500 in physical items.

“It’s a fund that allows people to keep their pets, so there’s not a financial challenge in keeping their pet,” Adel said.

Adel is the president of the Missouri Society Children of the American Revolution.

“You get to choose a project that you raise money for and talk about it with many organizations around the state,” Adel said.

Tori Fugate with KC Pet Project said this unique program started during the pandemic.

“At the time, if someone had to give up their pet, we would just take them and find them a new home,” Fugate said.

She said they realized how devastating that was for both the pets and their families.

“We all looked at each other, and we were like, we have to do something different,” Fugate said.

So, that’s when ‘Keep ‘em Together, KC was formed– so families don’t have to split ways with their furry friends. Most importantly, they can still get the help they need.

“We provide medical assistance, on a case-by-case basis, in order for them to be able to keep their pets,” Fugate said. “We go to a lot of like human food pantries, where people are going and picking up items for their families; we are there providing pet foods. So, they don’t need to make an additional stop; they can get everything they need in one place. Funds raised through this are going to go directly to this.”

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