Joy is the quarterly magazine for Joybound People & Pets!
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Inside This Issue
From Our CEO
Dear Friends,
As we step into a new year, I find myself filled with gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead for Joybound People & Pets and for the thousands of pet families we serve throughout Contra Costa County.
Each year reminds me just how deeply connected we are to our community. From those magical first meetings that turn into love at first sight, to the ongoing support that keeps pets healthy, happy, and at home with the people who love them, Joybound is there, every step of the way. Whether in Walnut Creek, Concord, Richmond, and beyond, our work continues to strengthen the human-animal bond and meet families where they are.
Your compassion makes this possible. When SNAP benefits were unexpectedly delayed last fall, your immediate and overwhelming response to our Fill the Bowl fundraising campaign ensured families didn’t have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. Moments like these remind me that Joybound is not just an organization, it’s a community.
In this issue of Joy magazine, you’ll read how our partnerships with Contra Costa County Animal Services and Petfinder — including vital Measure X funding — are helping us expand access to care and deliver lifesaving programs across the county.
I hope you’re as excited as I am as you read the news of Joybound’s new Concord location. Our former thrift store has been expanded, refreshed, and re-imagined. Now occupying a large, glassy corner storefront, it’s filled with vintage treasures and fresh purpose. Home to both thrift store operations and the city’s first Cat Lounge, visitors are welcome to roam, relax, shop, and adopt.
As Joybound continues to innovate, we remain grounded in our mission to form and support the human-animal bond. This year, we look ahead to breaking ground on a new boarding and daycare center that will house our behavior and animal care teams, while also beginning the strategic planning that will guide Joybound into 2027 and beyond.
Thank you for believing in this work and for being part of everything we do.
With gratitude,
Susan Lee Vick
President & Chief Executive Officer
More Stories
From a Scroll to a Second Chance
An Unlikely Teacher with Whiskers
Joybound Thrift Store Transforms
Measure X in Action
Seven Years of Service, One Big Heart
We are Joybound People & Pets, formerly ARF, a privately funded, 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Walnut Creek, CA. With dog and cat rescue and adoption at the heart of its mission, Joybound forms, supports, elevates, and celebrates the human-animal bond through services such as training and veterinary care, food and supply assistance, therapy and service-animal programs, and rich learning resources for all pet families.
On the Cover: Spoon and Karima, Joybound’s Shelter to Service Facility Cat and Specialist
Photo Credit: Mawiyah Johnson
Publisher: Susan Lee Vick
Editor: Mawiyah Johnson
Writers: Jim Oswald, Mawiyah Johnson
More Magazine Issues
We feed our animals high-quality Purina pet food.
You can find all our adorable, adoptable animals on Petfinder