York County SPCA Highlights the Power of Giving Tuesday—and the Lifesaving Work Behind the Scenes
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Asia Tabb
AIRED; November 19, 2025
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support is for shelters across Pennsylvania. The annual giving campaign runs from November 24 through December 2, offering what leaders describe as a vital lifeline for nonprofit animal organizations.
“Giving Tuesday is the day where the community can show up for that nonprofit organization,” said Steven Martinez, Executive Director at the York County SPCA. “If there’s a cause that pulls on people’s hearts and they want to support that cause, then they can give… It’s an excuse to do good for your nonprofit community.”
Why This Week Matters
Martinez says the timing of the campaign aligns perfectly with both the holiday spirit and end-of-year charitable giving.
“We’re in a giving spirit… we’re also thinking about gift giving and showing love and appreciation to the ones that we love. Well, why not extend that love to the nonprofit community?” he said. “The stars align in terms of feeling good and wanting to do good.”
That goodwill is more than symbolic. It’s what keeps the shelter running.
“We could not exist without the love and support of our community. Full stop.” Martinez emphasized. “Seventy-five percent of our budget… is made up of individual contributions.”
He also clarified a common misconception: despite their name, local SPCAs receive no state, county, federal, or national Humane Society funding.
“Sometimes people donate to the national ASPCA thinking that money trickles down to the local shelter.” Martinez said. “It doesn’t. We need days like Giving Tuesday so that we can do our work of saving animal lives.”
Inside Animal Operations
While donations keep the shelter running, the hands-on work belongs to the Animal Operations team—led by Animal Operations Manager Katie Keith, who oversees every animal from intake to adoption.
“My duties entail making sure our animals are coming in safely and leaving the shelter safely,” Keith explained. She manages intake, adoptions, animal care, medical needs, enrichment, and behavior assessments. “All of those things… really make their stay hopefully a good one, keeping them happy and healthy while they are in that pit stop.”
How Behavior Assessments Work
Keith says evaluating an animal’s behavior starts from the moment they arrive.
Animals come in one of two ways: owner surrender or stray.
“Owner surrenders are what we prefer,” she said. “We find out their background, their vaccination history, medical history… so we can get a really good feel for where this animal is going to fit well in a home.”
But stray animals are more challenging.
“If they come in as a stray, we don’t know any of that information. So it becomes very tricky for us.”
Pennsylvania requires shelters to hold strays for at least 48 hours while attempting to locate the owner. During that period, Keith and her team begin observing behavior and allowing the animal time to decompress.
“Initially when they come in, they might not be showing us who they truly are,” she said. “There’s a lot of fear… They can be stressed and overwhelmed. Behavior begins right when they walk in that door.”
As the animal settles, the team continues evaluating personality, needs, energy level, and potential fit for adoptive families.
‘We Need the Community’
From behavior assessments to medical care and adoption preparation, every step depends on community donations.
“Without those people, we couldn’t do it,” Martinez said. “We need the support of our local community so we can exist and serve our mission.”
The York County SPCA is encouraging residents to support the shelter—and the animals who rely on it—during this year’s Giving Tuesday campaign.
