Jessica Vaccaro

Jessica Vacaro is a proud army veteran whose career came to a stifling halt when she was injured in training. As a kid, Jessica watched her mother take in stray animals to nourish and comfort during a time of need. This instilled not only a love for animals, but also a passion for helping living beings. She enlisted in the army after high-school, determined to help her country, and quickly found the perfect role in caring for and training the military's K-9 unit. But after a training accident, Jessica was medically discharged, suffering nerve damage to her limbs. Despite this devastation, Jessica pivoted her career to animal shelters, finding that she could still make a big impact helping cats and dogs in need of a loving home. Jessica has been running the Animal Rescue New Orleans shelter for the past four years. The ARNO, a no-kill shelter, was started during Hurricane Katrina when animal shelters across the board saw a spike in numbers due to how many pets were being neglected. Trained in disaster rescue, Jessica, along with a handful of volunteers, report to the shelter daily to make sure any animal in need is cared for. Jessica is extremely close to her father, who lives almost an hour away.