Our Story
PAD PAWS was founded in 2006 in the Powerhouse Arts District, located on the waterfront area of Jersey City, NJ. However, our journey of rescuing began years prior in NYC after volunteering and doing TNR work for Ollie’s Place, ASPCA and Mighty Mutts. Some of the most difficult cases of rescuing and rehabilitation took place after disastrous events such as 911, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy when animals of all types were injured, abandoned, sick and left helpless. We were their voice, and their only hope of being saved. These rewarding, yet difficult experiences, prepared us for concentrating on two areas during the gentrification process, Battery Park/NYC and the PAD area of Jersey City. We made it our mission to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome four legged friends into a loving and caring home. PAD PAWS is a registered 501c3 specializing in abandonment and any cat who is injured or in danger.
Our People
Natalie Stiefvater has lived in NYC for almost 20 years. She started her rescue work at the age of 3 after attempting to bring home a baby rabbit from her Grandfather’s ranch. Her mom finally gave up and opened the door to “almost” anything with fur and four legs. Needless to say, Natalie grew up with many pets. As an adult, Natalie continued to rescue, but also volunteered at many shelters and rescue organizations across the country specializing in cats, dogs and horses. She finds it incredibly rewarding to rescue animals who are homeless, injured or in danger. Natalie is a Holistic Nutritionist and Account Manager for a leading herbal supplement company, and also teaches yoga in her spare time.
Laura Zaccardi moved from the suburbs of Maryland to the Powerhouse Arts District of Jersey City nearly 10 years ago. She grew up in a household that always had at least two cats. Laura has been an Organizational Development Consultant focused on transformational change for over 20 years. She enjoys being a part of the team that feeds and cares for the outdoor colonies in the PAD and is happy to be a part of a non-profit that helps animals in need.
Denise Labowski is a crazy cat lady, foster failure, fundraiser, cat broker, you name it. Denise lives in downtown Jersey City on the waterfront where she has focused her rescue activities. Although an environmental engineer by day, her real passion is these cats and hopes that one day she can open Jersey City’s first cat café. In the meantime you can find her simultaneously having a cocktail and telling anyone who will listen, “I have just the right cat for you!”
Tom Van Arsdall has lived in the Jersey City Powerhouse Arts District for more than 15 years and has a passion for helping animals and protecting the natural environment. In 2017, Tom became aware of PAD PAWS and found their commitment to rescuing animals an amazing, selfless act of kindness. He knew he wanted to be part of their mission, adopted a wonderful tabby cat named Linus (his first cat and the best little buddy anyone could ask for) and began volunteering to help with their fundraising events. With so many animals in need, Tom wants to increase awareness of PAD PAWS and ensure the organization is resourced to help every animal that comes in its path. Tom is a Consultant in the Finance Industry during the week and gets his hands dirty with his Hamptons landscaping company on the weekends.
Mary Orsini lives in the Village area of downtown Jersey City. She has always wanted to be more actively involved in the rescue community but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. She happened to follow PAD PAWS on social media and thought “…hey, let’s see if they want some help!”. The rest is history. Mary is grateful to PAD PAWS for letting her join the team when most of her emails start with “Sorry for the delay, work has been so crazy!”. Seriously, get a new line girl. ANYWAY, Mary’s initial activism was centered around pit bull advocacy. When Mary got her first cat (Sirius Black!) a couple of years ago, she made it her goal to become a full blown cat lady by 30. She succeeded in record timing and got a second cat (Bellatrix Lestrange!) this past July to really cement the title. Her two cats have lived up to their namesake for all ya Harry Potter nerds and despise each other. Mary also has some loyal feral cats she cares for in her yard- Scabbers, Hagrid, and Lupin (the neighbors love her – NOT!). Mary is a public interest attorney during the week providing legal representation to low-income NJ residents with disabilities and also sneaks in as much political activism as she can.