Rescue Story
From Paperwork to Puppy Kisses: Kim’s Work Powers the Path to Home
Rescue does not only happen on the front lines. Kim Lassiter’s behind-the-scenes work keeps the farm running, the team supported, and the dogs moving forward, proving that organization, compassion, and readiness are powerful forces in rescue in action.
Rescue at Saving Grace is powered by a team effort. We’ve shared stories from the medical clinic, fosters, volunteers, donors, and adopters, but there is also a small but mighty group of staff behind the scenes who keep everything running. Among them is Kim Lassiter, Administrative Assistant and Human Resources. Kim has spent more than a decade supporting the work that brings dogs from shelter doors to new homes. Her story is a reminder that rescue depends on many hands working with one mission.
How did you start your career with Saving Grace?
I started with Saving Grace in 2012 as a volunteer on shift. I loved the work and soon began helping founder, Molly Goldston, directly as her assistant, along with pitching in on bookkeeping and even landscaping around the farm. In 2017, I moved to South Carolina, but Saving Grace stayed close to my heart. I returned in 2020 and supported the farm again handling landscaping projects and much of the holiday décor for Saving Grace. My husband still manages the landscaping work, while I rejoined the Saving Grace team to focus on administrative support and human resources.
After more than a decade with Saving Grace in many different capacities, I am grateful to be part of the work that helps dogs get healthy, find families, and live the lives they deserve.
What does a typical day look like for you at Saving Grace?
My typical day at Saving Grace is mostly behind the scenes, I work with Molly to help load the van with crates and get her on the road to visit rural animal shelters across NC, to save more lives and bring them to Saving Grace. I often take foster puppies home to care for them until they’re healthy and ready to come back to the farm for adoptions.
What brings me immense joy is when I get to see my “friends” (the dogs that have come to the farm, that I’ve gotten to know and love while working around the farm) find their forever homes and finally get to go home to peace and love! I shed happy tears quite often!
The need for rescue never stops. How do you handle the urgency and unpredictability of the work?
Rescue never does stop. I’ve been known to ride back to the farm to pick up puppies that have not been picked up for foster after a full day of waiting. I’ve helped Molly get her barn set up to host some dogs when we have no more foster homes to send them to. I’ve helped transport dogs in need of surgery and picked them up from shelters while traveling for the holidays. I guess the way to handle the unpredictability is to be willing and available to meet the need when it arises.
Is there a particular moment that shows how rescue is a team effort?
There have been a few, but one I often think of is Woozie. She used to come home with me on weekends when she first arrived at the farm. She loved laying on the couch with Klondike, our nurse dog who always knew when someone needed him. He comforted Woozie and used to help our blind Newfoundland, Maggie, get around. Woozie was at the farm for a long time before she was adopted, but she was given every bit of time she needed. In the end she was adopted, and she finally knew what it meant to be loved and have a home.
Our sweet Georgia, who passed last year, is another who fills my heart. She had a rough beginning, but once she came home with us, she knew so much love and helped care for many foster puppies! It was her favorite thing to do. She mothered and gently disciplined them like it was her calling. To our knowledge, she never had a litter, but she was the best foster momma. We planted a tree near the foster puppy pen in her memory.
How do you see the partnership between staff, volunteers, fosters, and donors helping dogs heal and find homes?
It is truly a team effort. We are all on the same team working toward the same goal: forever homes for every dog. Everyone plays a part.
What would you say to someone who wants to get involved?
We need you! No task is too small, and there is room for everyone to help in some capacity. You will make a real difference in the lives of Saving Grace dogs.
What do you find rewarding and the most challenging about working in the non-profit animal welfare sector?
The most rewarding part is seeing the dogs come in and get healthy. Sometimes those transformations alone will fill you up with happy tears. Seeing them chosen and loved makes any day a good day. The challenges are the hard parts: needing more foster homes so we can save more dogs, needing funds for food and care. But the rewards are worth it.
Rescue in Action
Kim’s work often happens behind the scenes, but her impact is felt everywhere on the farm. As the administrative assistant and human resources coordinator, she supports the founder, the staff, and the dogs with compassion, professionalism and deep commitment. Her care keeps the team moving, keeps the farm running, and makes rescue possible day after day. Her dedication is rescue in action, and Saving Grace is stronger because she chooses to be part of it.
Be part of rescue in action. Adopt. Foster. Volunteer. Give.