WANT TO BE AN ACC FOSTER?
ACC relies heavily on our network of foster parents to help decrease our on-site population and work with the amazing pets we have at our three full-service shelter locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Get involved today and find yourself a furry friend to share your home with!
Take your first steps with the ACC Foster Team by signing up for one of our Virtual Foster Orientations! If you’re interested in fostering a cat, click here. If you’re interested in fostering a dog, click here. At this time we DO offer a specific orientation for rabbits or guinea pigs – please email accfosters@nycacc.org if this is what you’re interested in.
We look forward to working with you soon!
FOSTER TEAM
Meet the Staff
HEENA PATEL | SHE/ HER
Foster Program Coordinator
Heena has been working at the ACC for about a year and has been an ACC foster since 2017. She has fostered dogs, cats, and kittens through the program. She started out as an Adoptions Counselor and is currently a full-time Foster Coordinator in Brooklyn. Heena has a background in psychology and previously worked as a behavior therapist. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, baking, and going to the park with her foster-fail pup, Zelda.
AUTUMN HUG | SHE/HER
Foster Program Coordinator
Autumn joined ACC in 2022 and worked as a New Hope Coordinator for two years before joining the Foster Program. She has a background in veterinary medicine and is an animal rights advocate. Autumn's family and friends all say that their favorite thing about her is her love and compassion for animals. In her free time, you'll find her taking her dogs Snoofy and Barkley on adventures around the city, or to Starbucks to get them puppuccinos (they were both
paw-ristas for Halloween this past year). Autumn loves being a part of ending animal homelessness in NYC and dreams to one day start her own dog rescue, so she can continue to save as many lives
as paw-ssible!
KENIA BARBECHO | SHE/HER
Foster Program Coordinator
Kenia has been working at the ACC since June of this year. She enjoys being able to be work with fosters and colleagues who all have the same goal of helping animals find their forever homes!
SABRINA WILSON | SHE/HER
Foster Program Supervisor
Sabrina got her start dog walking for 2 years in the big city. She realized she wanted to do more to help the animal community in NYC so she joined ACC as an Adoption Counselor and is now the Foster Program Supervisor. In her free time you can find her exploring different parks or cuddling with her cat Phil (pictured).
CARA WILSON | SHE/HER
Foster Adoption Liaison
When asked about her "dream job," Cara used to say that she wanted to help cats and dogs find their forever homes. Joining ACC as a Foster Adoption Liaison in the summer of 2021 made that dream reality! Cara's affinity for animals spans many species (opossums, for example, are a particular favorite) but cats have always been at the top of her list. She has two of her own; Olive, pictured here half-asleep, and Roo, an ACC alum. She hopes to meet an opossum in real life one day.
STELLA SALIARIS | SHE/HER
Foster Triage Nurse
Hey, it’s Stella! I am the Foster Triage Nurse. I have been a Licensed Veterinary Technician since 2008, and now as part of the Foster Team I am here to help with medical concerns you encounter with your foster pet. I love working with all of our amazing foster parents to help you- help us- help pets!
Our foster parents are our window into how our pets are feeling, both mentally and physically. The love, caring, and attentiveness these animals receive while in foster surpasses my expectations every day!
Please always feel comfortable contacting us. There is no such thing as a question not worth asking, or a concern not worth mentioning. In fact, we usually reply by asking more questions and mentioning more concerns to watch out for! And if we can’t help you, we know someone who can!
Thank you to all of our foster parents, and to all of my teammates!
KATHERINE REEVES | SHE/HER
Community Kids Coordinator
Katherine has been with ACC for 3 years as the Community Kids Coordinator, working with anyone under 18 who is interested in learning about ACC, animal body language and behavior, bite prevention, and how young people can help animals in our shelters, our communities, and our homes. Katherine supports the Foster Team by leading orientations and helping to answer questions from foster parents via email.
In addition to working for ACC, Katherine has over 15 years of experience in education - having worked in museums, libraries, cultural centers, after schools, summer camps, and as a NYC tour guide. She currently lives on Staten Island with her cat Baba Yaga.
SARAH HOLLERS | SHE/HER
Community Cat Coordinator
Sarah Hollars focuses on advanced felines including Tiny Tigers and Spirit Cats. Watching shy cats blossom in foster homes and getting to know the amazing fosters who make these transformations possible is priceless to her. She grew up in Southeastern Oregon earning a BA from the University of Washington, Seattle; BFA from the University of Oregon, Eugene; and an MFA from Hunter College. Sarah taught and advised at the college level for six years before coming to work at the ACC.
JESSICA VACCARO | SHE/HER
Director of Placement
Jessica has been working at ACC for over eight years and has over a decade of Animal Welfare experience. Prior to working at ACC, Jessica was the Adoption and Intake Manager at Anjellicle Cats Rescue. As the Director of Placement, she leads ACC’s Adoption, Foster and New Hope programs and has spearheaded many lifesaving initiatives with the goal of ending animal homelessness in NYC. In her tenure at ACC, she’s fostered approximately three dozen dogs only to finally foster fail and adopt one her first ACC foster cats, Eloise. In their spare time, Jessica and Eloise can usually be found curled up reading or practicing yoga together.
STEPHANIE FELICIANO SHE/HER
Senior Manager, Foster & Adoption
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, her passion to help animals began in college when she would feed stray cats before heading to class. Stephanie Feliciano graduated with a BA from John Jay College in 2016. Following her passion to help animals, she joined ACC in January 2017 as a Client Care Representative, were she helped reunite lost pets with their owners. Stephanie also enjoyed seeing all of the other animals leave with their newly adopted families and learned more about ACC's open adoptions process. Soon after, she was promoted to work as an Adoption Counselor, Adoptions Supervisor, Adoptions Manager and then Senior Manager of Foster and Adoptions. During the pandemic, Stephanie developed a deep appreciation for the foster department. Our foster parents were heroes during the height the pandemic by opening up their hearts and homes to our NYC Boroughbreds.
