This June, Greater Good Charities’ Veterinary Services team reached an important milestone: 80,000 spay/neuter surgeries completed. At our eighth round of free clinics in Maui, the team spayed adorable Gertrudis, as well as 887 other owned and community cats.
Gertrudis represents more than just our 80,000th surgery. Her story reflects the long-term partnerships and community-driven work that have shaped our veterinary work across Hawaii.
On Maui alone, Greater Good Charities has now sterilized nearly 4,670 animals. Over the past five years, our work across Hawaii has expanded through close collaboration with local organizations, including Maui Humane Society, to provide spay/neuter support, pet transport flights, disaster relief, and other veterinary services. Those partnerships have continued to strengthen communities on Maui, including Lahaina, following the 2023 wildfires.
Maui’s free-roaming cat population presents challenges to both ecological and community health, making Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) an important long-term solution. Access to spay/neuter and routine veterinary care remains difficult for many families, particularly those with lower incomes or who continue to face housing instability in the wake of the 2023 wildfires.
Greater Good Charities’ veterinary services in Maui break down these barriers, granting families access to essential care their pets might otherwise go without. Every sterilization surgery helps reduce pet overpopulation, eases the burden on local shelters and rescue organizations, and provides families with easy access to critical care.
Because Gertrudis’s family was able to bring her to our clinic, she can continue living a healthy life at home with no risk of future unwanted litters.
As we continue to celebrate 20 years of amplifying the good, your support allows us to continue listening to Maui communities, adapting as needs change, and working alongside local partners to provide the care and resources families need—for as long as we’re needed.