Dr. Kwane Stewart — a veterinarian whose nonprofit, Project Street Vet, provides medical care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness — is the 2023 CNN Hero of the Year.
Online voters selected him from among this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes.
“I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian my whole life, since I was a child,” Stewart said when accepting the award. “I’m so lucky to be doing what I’m doing.”
Stewart’s outreach on the streets started more than a decade ago. On a whim, the veterinarian stopped to examine the dog of a homeless man outside a 7-11 where he got his coffee.
Stewart treated the dog’s skin condition and the animal was transformed. But for Stewart, the man’s gratitude was a wakeup call: “Thank you for not ignoring me” were the words that Stewart says inspired his next chapter.
“It doesn’t matter what your situation is … I see a pet in need, and I see a person who cares for them dearly who just needs some help,” Stewart said.
As CNN Hero of the Year, Stewart will receive $100,000 to expand his work and will also be named an Elevate Prize winner which comes with $300,000 in unrestricted funding and resources from The Elevate Prize Foundation.
He and the other top 10 CNN Heroes honored at Sunday’s gala all receive a $10,000 cash award along with donation-matching up to $50,000 from The Elevate Prize Foundation. The foundation will also provide organizational and capacity-building support to all of the honorees.
‘I just wanted my own little crusade’
Stewart had spent several years working in a county shelter in Northern California when he thought about quitting in 2011. He’d long dreamed of saving animals but was instead forced to euthanize an increasing number of those that were being surrendered.
“It was the recession. I’m seeing hordes of unwanted pets dropped off, people who don’t have the money to feed them or care for them medically,” Stewart, 53, said. “It started to steal a part of my soul. I thought about leaving the veterinary profession altogether.”
Stewart was at a crossroads, he said, desperately trying to lower the shelter’s rates of euthanasia and increase adoption rates, but also struggling with the sheer number of animals dropped off there.
Project Street Vet came about after his encounter with the homeless man and his dog outside the 7-11.
“That was the moment I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do more of this. I’m going to get back to saving animals on my terms. And I’m going to do it for passion, not for pay.’”
“It was my way to heal,” said Stewart. “Maybe some of it was guilt. Maybe some of it was I just wanted my own little crusade.”
Soon after, Stewart began to do more outreach, setting up small drop-in clinics to provide medical care to pets whose owners couldn’t afford it and walking the streets looking for unhoused individuals whose pets needed help. Right away he was struck by how much the pet owners cared for their beloved animals.
“They’re with each other 24/7 hours a day. Their bond and relationship is on a different level,” Stewart said. “Because they’re not in a traditional home, it doesn’t necessarily make them less of a pet parent. A pet doesn’t care about nice furniture and a big home, they want to spend it with you.”
Spreading the word
He found that many pet owners wanted to share their stories about their dog and their history together.
With their consent, Stewart’s brother, Ian, eventually began documenting some of the work and personal stories to raise awareness about animal welfare and homelessness.
“They probably get criticized more than anything, especially from people in the outside world. But I’ve seen people give up their last meal for their pet and people who have $3 to their name, and after I’m done with the treatment, they will try and give me that $3,” Stewart said.
His brother encouraged him to spread the word and join forces with others to provide street care, and soon more like-minded animal welfare professionals jumped on board.
Genesis Rendon, a registered veterinary nurse who Stewart calls his “right-hand,” had worked in the veterinary field for nearly two decades and was doing her own street outreach when she teamed up with him in 2016.
Today, as a lead volunteer for Project Street Vet, she is often by Stewart’s side in homeless camps and on Los Angeles’ Skid Row assisting animals in need.
“Now it’s spreading across the country,” Stewart said. “I’m building a network of trusted volunteers, technicians with hospitals and clinics we can call on. These are all people who just reached out and said, ‘I’m inspired by what you do. How do I do it?’”
Stewart says they can treat about 80% of the cases they see out of a small portable kit. Treatments include antibiotics, vaccines, and anti-inflammatories as well as deworming and flea and tick medications.
“It’s boots on the ground,” Stewart said, adding that their group will also help connect animals in need to clinic services. “And whenever we can, we advocate for or assist people in getting their animals spayed and neutered.”
Stewart’s work with Project Street Vet is all volunteer, and the organization has expanded to other cities, including Orlando and Atlanta.
“It doesn’t matter what your situation is or what your background or past is, I see a pet in need, and I see a person who cares for them dearly who just needs some help. … It’s at no cost to them. It’s free.”
Since he started, Stewart and his volunteer teams have treated thousands of animals while giving their human parents hope and dignity, too.
“I will say this about the people I’ve met who have pets on the streets,” he said. “They are some of the most remarkable pet parents I’ve ever met.”
If you’re inspired to help, you can donate to Stewart and each of the Top 10 CNN Heroes’ causes.
You can donate to Stewart’s Project Street Vet and all the Top 10 CNN Heroes’ nonprofit organizations on CNNHeroes.com. The Elevate Prize Foundation is matching donations made directly through CNNHeroes.com up to $50,000 per Hero.