Kommunity Kritters: A Lifeline for Lewiston Pets & Their People

It started with a friendship and a deep understanding of the importance of pets in the lives of their people.

Amy Sanchez and Larissa Ryerson have been friends since high school. Over the years, Larissa watched Amy open her heart and home to animals in need, kids in need, and sometimes, both at once. “Amy has always wanted to rescue them all, help them all,” Larissa says. “I always knew one day she would do something like this.”

For Amy, this was personal, because it is something that she deeply understands.

“At one point, I was homeless with my dog because I was in a bad situation and didn’t have money. My dog was bouncing around to different people. My dog hated it. I hated it. From where I am now, if I can help someone in a similar situation not worry about care for their beloved pet — then that’s something.”

“At one point, I was homeless with my dog because I was in a bad situation and didn’t have money. My dog was bouncing around to different people. My dog hated it. I hated it. From where I am now, if I can help someone in a similar situation not worry about care for their beloved pet — then that’s something.”

That something became Kommunity Kritters — now a thriving, grassroots resource for Lewiston residents who want to care for their animals, even during life’s hardest moments.

The seeds were planted in 2021 when Amy received a mini-grant from Healthy Neighborhoods to make masks during the pandemic — 1,400 masks, to be exact. Inspired to do more, she applied for another mini-grant to hold a small pet-focused community event in the Tree Streets.

Amy partnered with the Humane Society, who hosted a low-cost vaccine clinic, and Kaydenz Kitchen who offered clothing giveaways during this event. Amy handed out dog and cat treats, leashes, toys, litter, and anything else she could gather. It was a simple cookout where Larissa helped out by surveying attendees. They wanted to know: What do you and your pets need?

At that first event, they gathered valuable data from 150 people, and that information laid the foundation for what was to come.

The next step was a table at Kaydenz Kitchen where they gave away supplies. However, they quickly outgrew the space and moved to share space with Healthy Homeworks. Then, with help from another Healthy Neighborhoods grant and funding from the Sewall Foundation, Kommunity Kritters moved into their first rented space at 128 Pine Street. Within months, they were serving 300 people every month. They built a client database, developed guidelines for services, and continued to grow.

Today, Kommunity Kritters offers far more than pet food and supplies from their new location at 19 Bartlett Street at the corner of Bartlett and College Streets. They offer:

A spay/neuter clinic with the Humane Society helps 22–26 animals each month.
A full-time groomer who donates her services, offering free nail clipping and grooming for animals in need.

Volunteers, many of whom have been helped by the program themselves, give back as part of a growing, supportive network. Partnerships with local organizations like Mr. Drew and His Animals Too, Kaydenz Kitchen, Lewiston Housing, and the broader community help ensure the support keeps flowing to people in need.

Every year, they’ve added something new — always guided by the people they serve. “It’s grown from giving away stuff in the park to renting a real commercial space where the Humane Society and many other organizations refer people to us,” Amy says.

But beyond the growing services is something even more important: hope and stability for people who might otherwise have to choose between their own well-being and the pets who provide them comfort.

Many people facing homelessness or unstable housing refuse shelter because it means giving up their animal: their source of emotional support and unconditional love. Kommunity Kritters now looks toward working to change that as a next step in their programming. They want to find creative ways to temporarily board animals when owners enter shelter or rehab programs.

Kommunity Kritters isn’t just about pets. It’s about people.
This organization helps others by meeting people where they are. They offer our community the understanding that stability often starts with the small, quiet assurance that you don’t have to let go of a pet who’s been there for and with you through everything.

Kommunity Kritters began with one woman’s empathy, a friendship full of support, and one small grant has grown into a vital part of Lewiston’s safety net — one leash, one pound of food, and one act of care at a time.

Images courtesy of the LA Metro Chamber of Commerce.