Who we are

Homeless to Home Animal Rescue & Cat Sanctuary became a non-profit in 2015, but that was only on paper.

Rescue has always gone on here, evolving over decades of helping animals of all kinds over a collective 70 years on the original family property. The purpose has always been to bridge the gap between the need and what shelters would offer.

Vivian “Jo” Esposito helped thousands of people, their pets, and animals in her lifetime. Daughters Jeanine Tarantino and Lori Baltes grew up rescuing with her. Jeanine’s husband, Jay, joined the mission in 1998.

Vivian was the first manager of the local humane society when the shelter opened. She was the major influence for ending the sale of pound dogs to animal dealers who resold them for research. She also ended horse slaughter in Marion through letter-writing campaigns, appealing to county officials and public awareness of suffering.

Vivian tirelessly lived and breathed kindness into the lives of people and God’s creatures. Her work continues through her family.

For many years, hundreds of dogs were helped and homes found for them, but when help could not be found in shelters, cats began to flow in. The Rescue took on a life of its own.

Due to the sheer need and with the guidance and friendship of the Wyandot County Humane Society, Homeless to Home became official on paper, but the work and the mission, which is simply three words-"to prevent suffering"-has never changed.

The founders' intent is that those three words will live on in the hearts and hands of our like-minded friends and staff. Homeless to Home continues its mission every day—turning homelessness into hope, one animal at a time.