Jelly’s Place, a no-kill animal shelter in San Pablo, is urgently seeking an affordable new location. If unsuccessful, many animals in dire need could face euthanasia.
Julie Bainbridge, the shelter’s director, is currently nursing a puppy named Ohwdis back to health after he broke his leg. Ohwdis’s owner couldn’t afford veterinary care, highlighting the critical role Jelly’s Place plays for abandoned, abused, and injured animals. The seven-year-old nonprofit now finds itself in need of rescue.
“I worry about it every night,” Bainbridge confessed. “I got into this to help animals, and now I feel like my heart’s been ripped out.”
Jelly’s Place has been renting its space from Caltrans at a discounted rate, but a new highway project necessitates relocation. Bainbridge cannot afford the proposed purchase price or a long-term lease at much higher rates.
“I can’t compete with high rentals. We don’t have that kind of money,” she explained.
Despite a thorough search, Bainbridge has not found a new location. She has intensified adoption efforts and ceased taking in new animals. Without Jelly’s Place, hundreds of animals rescued annually from various dire situations would lose a critical haven, and low-income pet owners would lose access to free vaccination clinics and emergency veterinary care.
Len Welsh of Stitch in Time Animal Rescue in Kensington, a partner of Bainbridge’s nonprofit, emphasized their critical role. “Sometimes there’s a dog that gets in a car accident and has a broken leg. They want to keep the dog and can’t pay for vet care, so we take care of that for them,” he said.
Bainbridge hopes to find a new location in Contra Costa County, ideally at least an acre in size and zoned for agriculture.
“I’m losing a lot of sleep. It worries me for the community and animals that are not going to get our help anymore,” she shared.
Caltrans has advanced the relocation deadline from December 2025 to May 2025 to facilitate the San Pablo Dam Road/I-80 Interchange project, intended to enhance safety and traffic flow. The current Jelly’s Place site will be used to store construction materials.
Caltrans assured continued communication with Jelly’s Place to help plan for a replacement space. Meanwhile, Bainbridge remains hopeful that the county, state, or a generous individual might provide or donate a suitable property.
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