Exploring Life & Business with Whitney Fox of Fox Valley Farms, Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Fox.

Hi Whitney, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Fox Valley Farms has always been a dream of mine. I’ve rescued and trained strays from a young age. In my early adulthood, I found myself suddenly homeless with my dog, and was faced with the option of surrendering my dog to the shelter or living in my car. Thor and I chose the car. I saw a gap between services offered to people experiencing homelessness and pets experiencing homelessness, as strays or with their humans. So, Fox Valley Farms was born in 2015 and earned its status as a tax-exempt nonprofit in 2018. We specialize in working with pets with behavioral issues, helping them navigate trauma and be adopted into loving homes tailored to their needs. We also provide low-cost or free training to members of the community to help pets stay in homes. If an animal and their human are experiencing homelessness, we are able to step in to provide supplies to families in need or temporarily board pets while their humans seek help to overcome homelessness.

On the people-centered side of the FVF, we work in conjunction with other nonprofits and local governments to provide resources and fill gaps for people experiencing homelessness. We are proud members of the Guilford County Continuum of Care, a conglomerate of nonprofits and local governments with the shared mission of preventing and reducing rates of homelessness in our community. Most of the people we work with don’t want to be homeless, but they can’t always control their circumstances or see the future. Others don’t want to live in homes because it makes them feel confined; they just want the freedom to live their lives. Some struggle with addiction, while others may struggle with mental health or a combination of both. We connect people to the organizations who can best assist them, and we prioritize people who don’t meet criteria for assistance elsewhere. Our focus is on meeting people where they are and helping them move in the direction that is comfortable for them, whether that is access to stable housing or seeking an emergency shelter to be safe from the elements.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. There are many nonprofits in North Carolina and across the nation who help either people or pets. Very few assist both, but it puts us in a highly competitive market where grants are not easily accessible. Without steady funding, it’s difficult to expand services to really fill the gaps in care and provide more options for temporary and emergency housing that accepts people and pets. People shouldn’t have to choose between surrendering their pets or going into safe housing options. COVID also had a huge impact on FVF that we are still trying to recover from. Many of our pet foster families returned to work or school and adoption rates are low. We have never received as many requests for rescue pulls from our local animal shelters as we have in recent years. It truly is heartbreaking every time we have to say no to a pet in need. We do our best to spotlight the pets in the community seeking homes in hopes that they don’t have to go to a shelter.

Last September, I was hit by a car as a pedestrian in a hit-and-run. Since that time, we have had to limit our activities in the community. My surgeries, doctor’s appointments, physical therapy, and physical limitations have hindered our ability to take in new pets or serve our less mobile clients. FVF’s volunteers and board members have been phenomenal in the interim, but we look forward to returning to our normal operations.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Individuals and organizations can contact us through our website (foxvalleyfarmsinc.org), social media, email ([email protected]) or by calling/texting (984) 209-9709. We post upcoming events on our website and social media.

We welcome people interested in becoming volunteers or foster families as we couldn’t do this without the amazing people who give their time and their hearts to the work we do. We also accept monetary donations and donations of supplies, such as pet food and supplies and gently used clothes, hygiene supplies, furniture, appliances, and more for folks who need it.

We are open to collaborations and often collaborate with other nonprofits, local governments, and businesses to make a difference in our communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foxvalleyfarmsinc.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxvalleyfarmsinc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoxValleyFarms
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fox-valley-farms-inc/?viewAsMember=true