Lee Matthews: All for Animals

Lee Matthews is determined to make a difference, and her efforts to do so have significantly improved the state of animal welfare in a county overwhelmed with neglected animals.

Matthews, a Los Lunas resident, has been a volunteer at Valencia County Animal Services since 2016, and she also created the local nonprofit All for Animals that same year following her retirement. The organization is dedicated to supporting the welfare of homeless animals in Valencia County.

Donations to AFA stay local, and they especially aid VCAS in helping to reduce euthanasia and improve the health of shelter animals through funding that supports transport, spay and neuter services, veterinary and medical needs, shelter layout and infrastructure and programs to promote the humane treatment of animals.

Matthews was nominated as an Unsung Hero by local artist and educator Jan Pacifico, who found a malnourished puppy in her yard one morning and needed some help. Her daughter suggested contacting Matthews, who immediately set her up with a vet appointment for the puppy paid for by AFA. With no owners to be found, the puppy has since found a home, which Matthews also organized.

“Lee helped us navigate through all this unfamiliar territory of trying to help one of Valencia County’s many homeless animals,” Pacifico wrote in her nomination letter. “I had no idea this organization existed and that such an angel was doing this work very quietly, here in the county, helping both the animals and those of us willing to help, but not having the financial resources needed to get that help.”

“I’ve just always loved animals, and I always try to help them,” said Matthews. “You hear about hows there’s so many euthanasias, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe we can do something to reduce it.’”

“That’s what drives her, getting the problems fixed,” said VCAS Director Jess Weston. “She puts her money where her mouth is, and she’s making a difference. She’s not one to get on social media and talk bad about the shelter; she steps in and steps up.”

Weston describes Matthews as “the face and the brains of the operation,” who gets everyone together and manages a lot of the logistics. She is also the one who seeks out and applies for grants and helps to manage the finances within AFA.

In 2020, Lee played an instrumental role in securing a community action grant from the Los Lunas Meta Data Center that allowed for new, rugged laptops for the animal control officers not only at VCAS, but also for Isleta, Bosque Farms and Peralta.

“Before Lee came on, the officers were bouncing around with some old laptops that weren’t made for the outdoors,” said Weston. “Coverage wasn’t the greatest, so they couldn’t sit out in the field and do a report, they had to come back here. So with that Facebook grant Lee got for us, we were able to upgrade to cellular laptops. Anywhere Verizon works, basically, the guys have service.”

Weston said this alone has been a huge asset to the department and help to the community, but during the pandemic, Matthews also secured another grant from Meta that provided a kiosk station. This allowed visitors to view all the animals in the shelter, as there were only a couple people allowed at a time in the facility to view the animals so it added an extra set of eyes for community members.

AFA also plays a crucial role in getting shelter animals emergency veterinarian care if needed.

“All those things tremendously pull the strain off of this department,” said Weston. “There are a lot of other people that help along the way, but Lee is a tremendous asset to this community.”

Matthews said the sense of fulfillment that comes from saving lives and overcoming challenges is what keeps her motivated day in and day out.

“When we were able to accomplish X number of spays and neuters that we didn’t think we could, and seeing the euthanasia rate drop … it just makes you feel so good, like you’ve accomplished something,” said Matthews. “When we were doing all those transports that one year, we had such low euthanasia rates; it was amazing. So that’s what we did every week, we paid for fuel and whatever they needed.”

Humble at heart, Matthews emphasized the team effort involved in what they do and that she prefers to work in the background, but she hopes the recognition will help bring more attention to animal welfare in the county and inspire others to do their part.

“The way they can help is to be responsible pet owners; that’s the main thing. Spay and neuter your animals; that’s the most important thing, and be compassionate,” said Matthews. “Also, if people can foster with rescues, that is one of the most important things because there’s so many animals right now that are in need of a foster.”

Fostering an animal temporarily until a forever home is found is a huge help because it helps keep animals out of a shelter, which saves space and reduces the need for euthanasia. It also makes a big difference for the wellbeing of the animal because the shelter environment can be a scary and stressful place for them.

VCAS doesn’t have a foster program, but they can direct you to a list of rescues they work with. If interested, call the shelter at 505-866-2479.

To learn more about AFA, visit their Facebook page. Donations can be sent to their PayPal account: Allforanimalsnm@gmail.com.