20 Who Count: Meghan Casias
By Jenna Wilson
Meghan Casias spends countless hours working alongside the St. Joseph Animal Shelter, even fostering pets herself to help with the influx.
Casias started her career working for an animal shelter in St. Louis where she grew up. That passion led her to kickstart a nonprofit dog rescue called ‘Is Today My Day Rescue’ in St. Louis.
A longtime volunteer with Central Animal Control in St. Joseph, Casias has spent the last five years fostering kittens in a specific room she designed in her house to service kittens not big enough to be adopted yet.
“It’s really beneficial to have kittens specifically, and puppies, out of the shelter because it reduces their risk of getting sick,” Casias said. “It also increases their adaptability because they’re being socialized on a regular basis and it’s just overall a more enjoyable life for them.”
After she gets off work from her full-time job, she heads straight to the shelter to cater to pets, taking on an important role as the marketer for the adoption specialists. Many of the cute photos on the St. Joe Animal Shelter’s social media platforms were taken by Casias.
Her dedication to the role recently landed her a position as secretary of the shelter.
“I don’t do it for the recognition, I do it because it makes me feel good,” she said. “I like to make a difference in our community and I’ve just always had a passion for animals. But it’s nice to see that my hard work and dedication is acknowledged and it’s motivating.”
