Starting in the 2010s our team began partnering with nearby shelters who were not as well supported by their communities. We later expanded to shelters in the south and southwest. When the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic hit, shelters across the country were devastated by low fundraising, inability to open their doors to the public and a massive increase in demand for support services. HSWM worked to manage the distribution of tens of thousands of pounds of pet food, providing relief to shelters and pet owners throughout Montana. By the end of 2020 HSWM had distributed over 67,000 pounds of food and shelters across the state all said the same thing: “Our biggest need is providing services to our animals and community.” Our board of directors and our staff concluded that our rural communities needed help and we set our sights on providing care where access was limited or nonexistent. With help from partners near and far, we launched our first outreach field work trip to the Blackfeet Nation in Browning, MT in April of 2021. Since then we have visited three reservations in Montana and two rural shelters, an average of two times a month through Montana’s navigable months. Our program sees thousands of animals per season, with many pet owners returning time and time again. We do not turn away animals based on age, breeding status or size because we focus on overall health and client needs. We are fortunate to be able to offer services additional to just spay and neuter to clients and our philosophy is to support pet ownership to the fullest extent possible in the field.