Vermonters Against Animal Cruelty and Abandonment (VAACA) formed as an emerging, volunteer-led group in response to a gap we observed across Vermont’s rural and small communities: animals experiencing neglect or abandonment not because people lack care, but because access to affordable veterinary services, spay/neuter options, and supportive resources is limited or uneven. Through our lived experience in rescue, fostering, and community advocacy, we saw families forced to make heartbreaking decisions and small, local rescues carrying a disproportionate burden.VAACA exists to begin building a more connected, community-based response to these challenges. As a new group, our goal is to seed local solutions by strengthening relationships among community members, rescues, veterinarians, and service providers, and by testing small-scale, preventative approaches such as spay/neuter access, emergency assistance, and humane education. We approach this work as a learning process—listening to community feedback, reflecting on what works, and adapting our strategies to meet local needs.We formed VAACA to build community power around animal welfare in Vermont—to listen, learn, and take action alongside neighbors most impacted by these barriers. We want to do this work because caring for animals is inseparable from caring for our communities, and because grassroots, people-powered efforts are essential to creating lasting, humane change in Vermont.