TulsaPets Magazine May 2023

26 TulsaPets • May / June 2023 Going to the Rescue Med Pharm Saves Animals’ Lives by Julie Wenger Watson | Photo by Kara Hamilton W hen Chris and Denise Mink opened Med Pharm OK in 2018, the couple envisioned a path to semiretirement, with their cannabis dispen- sary providing an income and a method of giving back to the community. Having worked and raised their family in the Broken Arrow–Coweta area for more than two decades, the Minks wanted the business to have a positive impact on the community around them. The Minks’ family-run small business operates under the concept of “cannabis with a cause.” For Denise, that cause is animal rescue. “I’ve been heavily involved in animal res- cue for years,” she says. “I knew we needed to open another ‘no-kill’ rescue.” Mink established Oklahoma Pet Collec- tive Society (OCPS), a nonprofit organiza- tion, as a vehicle to accomplish that goal. “Our purpose is to pool animals from smaller shelters, city shelters, and other or- ganizations before euthanasia and transport them to other areas of the United States that don’t have the animal overpopulation problem we have.” Helping Other Shelters At any given time, close to 50 animals are in the 5,000-square-foot shelter that Mink created and supports with profits from Med Pharm. The nonprofit also purchased a van that is used to transport the animals and occasionally loans the van to other shelters and rescues too. In addition to transporting animals, facilitating adoption and foster opportuni- ties, and hosting vaccination and spay and neuter clinics, OPCS worked with animal control officer Phyllis Ezell at Coweta’s Animal Control and Shelter to transition it to a no-kill facility. “These facilities in these smaller towns don’t always have a lot of support,” says Mink. “We help pay for the adoptions, and we require them to have those animals spayed or neutered. We help cover those expenses too.” The Coweta Police Department recog- nized Med Pharm’s efforts on behalf of the shelter in February 2022 with the 2021 Business Partner Appreciation Award. The Importance of Donations Supporting all that charitable work is a large financial undertaking for Med Pharm, espe- cially with the significant economic changes in Oklahoma’s cannabis industry in the last few years. Retail businesses in general have suffered since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and profits have decreased. Many of the grants available to animal-rescue organizations require the nonprofit to have functioned for a minimum of three years to qualify, and OPCS is just entering its third year. OPCS has saved about 1,000 animals since it opened, and Mink hopes to save many more. To do so, the organization needs additional support. Mink emphasizes that donations of all kinds are important, including pet food and supplies. “We need support so badly or we’re going to have to close the doors on it, I’m afraid,” she says. “There are so many things people can do, even if they’re not able to swing it financially — volunteering, fostering.” Even with all of the challenges, Mink continues to believe in the mission. “I thought everyone knew that there was a problem in Oklahoma with our pet over- population and with people not spaying and neutering the pets,” says Mink. “But when we opened this place and started talking to people, we found not everyone is aware of it. We want to show our community that help is needed for these pets that have no voice and that when people shop with us, we’re able to help.” Med Pharm OK is located at 24683 E Hwy 51, Broken Arrow. For more informa- tion, visit https://www.okpetcollective.org or https://medpharmok.com. Denise Mink and Spike are happy that Med Pharm can help save animals.