Service aiding pets and humans in crisis earns 2025 NAVC Gives Marquee Award

Photo: Anna Averianova/Adobe Stock

A service that connects care providers with pets of individuals in crisis was named the 2025 NAVC Gives Marquee Award winner. The recognition provides BestyBnB, based in Kansas City, Missouri, with $25,000 to help the organization continue to support animal and human wellbeing.¹

The award was announced at the 2025 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) in Orlando, Florida, presented by the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC). “We recognize [BestyBnb] because they've started to grow on a national basis. This platform has done tremendous work. I don't know how many 1000s of families they've reconnected with their pet after they've gone through their crisis period,” Gene O’Neill, CEO of NAVC, said in a dvm360 interview.

BestyBnB is digital platform that partners with animal welfare, domestic violence, mental health, veteran affairs and houseless service agencies to aid pet owners by securing temporary housing for their animals. The service helps ensure pets are safe, while their owners work through the crisis situation they’re experiencing. According to the organization, fewer than 5% of domestic violence shelters offer on-site housing for pets, while 70% of pets left behind in a crisis are abused or killed in retaliation.²

“Just like NAVC Gives, we have a shared mission to educate, support and improve the well-being of both animals and people through compassionate care, innovation, and community engagement,” BestyBnB cofounder Matthew Krenz said in a public statement.¹

Krenz said the organization was honored to receive the award from NAVC Gives as well as humbled. “This award helps create more awareness for our life-saving mission within the veterinary community, directly with the professionals who inspire us every day,” Krenz added.¹ “With the support and assistance of veterinary professionals, we can bring our crisis-care platform and services to every community across the country.”

Launched in 2023, NAVC Gives is intended to “shine a light” on nominees that do not typically receive attention, according to O’Neill, in a 2024 dvm360 interview.³ “These are things that we want to elevate and to inspire people who think that their jobs are going unnoticed or unrecognized. This is a way that we can give back to them a little bit and help fund their mission to continue on doing the work that they're doing,” O’Neill said.

The NAVC has committed $1 million to fund monetary awards throughout the year through its philanthropic NAVC Gives program. Pet Peace of Mind was announced as the first NAVC Gives marquee recipient, during the 2024 VMX event. The national nonprofit organization—based in Salem, Oregon—aids pet owners entering hospice care which allows them to keep their animals throughout their end-of-life experience.⁴

NAVC Gives has given nearly %100,000 in funding since its’ inception, according to O’Neill. Awarding funds rely on nominations. “We're getting more applications for these [awards] online, and more of our community coming to us, saying ‘we want to recognize someone else’ for this or that. So it's really a great thing,” he added in the 2025 interview.

References

1. NAVC names BestyBnB as the 2025 NAVC Gives Marquee Award recipient. News release. January 27, 2025.
2. BestyBnB’s mission to eliminate these barriers. BestyBnB. Accessed January 28, 2025. https://www.mybestybnb.com/
3. Coppock K. NAVC Gives honors community members who benefit animals. dvm360. January 16, 2024. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/navc-gives-honors-community-members-who-benefit-animals
4. McCafferty C. Pet Peace of Mind wins inaugural NAVC Gives Marquee Award. dvm360. January 16, 2024. Accessed January 28, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/pet-peace-of-mind-wins-inaugural-nacv-gives-marquee-award