When Stella’s Shelter Fund was launched in 2017 by native and long-time Wood River Valley residents Jennifer Terra and Holly Mora, who have been friends since the seventh grade, it was to elevate their love of animals. The fund was named for Stella, a young dog Terra and Mora loved but could not save. They called the nonprofit after her as a tribute to shelter animals everywhere who are sometimes overlooked and perhaps depart from life too soon. Terra, who works at Sushi on Second and is a Yin yoga instructor in training in Ketchum, and Mora, an owner and trainer at High Altitude Fitness with her husband Kevin, also in Ketchum, set out to make a difference, and they did.
Fast-forward to 2024, the impact of Stella’s Shelter Fund, a 501{c)(3) nonprofit organization, is undeniable. It has provided crucial financial assistance to underfunded shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries across Idaho. In situations where others might have given up, Terra and Mora, as a “last resort,” have jumped in, making incredible and often life-saving differences in the lives of many animals throughout Idaho.
Assisting rural Idaho shelters that do not have the financial resources to treat and provide necessary veterinary services, Stella’s Shelter Fund provides relief, especially to animals in desperate need of aid before they can be adopted. “When we first started, we would pick one situation a month around Idaho and gather supplies, but then we started receiving cash donations,” says Terra. “It took us in a new direction.”
Mora adds, “It was a dog named Jason in the Minidoka area, and he had a list of needs in which one required eye surgery, entropion, which are inverted eyelids, which requires a blepharoplasty surgery,” says Mora. “He also had a skin condition, which led us to medical assistance.”
From cash, veterinary care, food, collars, toys, crates, and many other items graciously donated by individuals, pet stores, grocery stores, and several other supporters, Stella’s Shelter Fund has been nonstop with these provisions and monetary relief for seven years without fail, and expanding its reach to include various animals and veterinary care. The all-volunteer nonprofit gives every cent it receives to help animals.
The grassroots effort began on Facebook and Instagram and scrolling through social media where pleas for puppies needing vaccinations or saving abandoned animals in southern Idaho's high desert farming lands were desperate cries for help. Terra and Mora quickly acted as they saw how shelters in these low-income regions of Idaho had difficulty finding foster care for pets and had vet needs.
“In Southern Idaho, dogs get dumped on farm roads and rescue efforts can often be a scramble,” says Mora. “It can take days to retrieve them because the animals are shocked and on the verge of becoming feral, and they can freeze death or die of heatstroke.”
Terra says, “Costs have also escalated from when we started seven years ago. All the vetting has doubled and tripled in some places, especially spaying and neutering. Discounts are fewer, but some vets will give substantial discounts for rescues in Pocatello, the Twin Falls area, and Blackfoot.”
What was once $150 is now $300 for shots and vaccinations in the Boise area. “It’s constant fundraising, so when there is a major medical issue, we get the call and help where possible. We can also do matches with donors,” says Terra.
“With inflation, vet clinics have been bought by corporations,” explains Mora. “Vets and staff care, but there’s no room for them to assist as operations are being closely watched. In addition, adoption and fostering are at a low because it’s hard to find places to live.”
Helping a horse dumped by an outfitter, a duck named Puddles who needed leg surgery, and rehoming senior Icelandic sheep are just a few of the many situations Mora and Terra encounter. “We work with all the area’s animal sanctuaries, such as Dominifarm Animal Sanctuary, where animals get to live out their lives, especially seniors who have lived a life of abuse and neglect,” says Mora. “It’s an eye to the world. We know there is a lot of neglect and abuse, and it’s more than you realize, but working with rescues and those who monitor animal dumping, the Fund will help with fees for health certificates, transportation, and other needs.”
However, on the flip side, Stella’s Shelter Fund also sees the best of humanity. Volunteers like Friends Furever Animal Rescue will go out all night to rescue animals. “There’s a network of assistance, and Stella’s a reliable resource. We work with twenty or so organizations and have worked with as many as thirty,” says Terra. “We see horses in desperate need of farriers, emaciated and neglected, or animals like Johnson, Spot, and Pinky, who are pigs who needed housing at Funny Farm Animal Sanctuary.”
In Sun Valley, Ryan Kolquist’s RJK Entertainment has taken Stella’s Shelter Fund under its umbrella, offering yearly concert donation proceeds. In addition, an annual Kentucky Derby fundraiser has provided cash for Terra and Mora to handle requests.
“No animal is happy in a shelter,” says Terra. “So any amount we receive makes a difference for an animal to live a good life and provide unconditional love to its owner. It all adds up.”
Mora adds, “When you can give an animal needed surgery, those costs could break rescuers or rescue organizations, and that’s where we can help take off a little pressure. It feels so good to do this, especially in our hearts. It feeds our soul, especially doing this with your best friend.”
Dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, pigs, ducks, alpacas—there is rarely an animal turned away from aid by Stella’s Shelter Fund. An opportunity to support Stella’s Shelter Fund will be available during Labor Day weekend, on Sunday, September 1, at the Sun Valley Pavilion for RJK Entertainment’s concert with Lucas Nelson. For more information and to support, visit stellasshelterfund.org.