August 2020 Newsletter, Issue 145
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F
eeding
Pets of the Homeless
®
is the first and one of the few national nonprofits providing pet food and emergency veterinary care to pets that belong to homeless people.
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Dear Friends,
You may have seen similar encampments to the one in the image at the top of this email. The West coast has been hit hard and encampments can be seen along highways, railroads, rivers, and sidewalks.
According to the 2019 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 568,000 people experienced homelessness as of January 2019.
There are conflicting estimates from many organizations.
I have always disputed the homeless annual count that is reported to Congress by HUD. Mainly because it is done on one night in January.
By its very nature, homelessness is impossible to measure with 100% accuracy. Recent studies suggest that the United States generates homelessness at a much higher rate than previously thought. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates that 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in any given year. Estimates from the National Coalition for the Homeless suggest that five to ten percent of homeless people have dogs or cats.
That would mean 250,000 more people in the U.S. would experience homelessness compared with last year, bringing the estimated total number of those experiencing homelessness to above 800,000.
"This is unprecedented," O'Flaherty, who conducted the analysis, said in a statement. "No one living has seen an increase of 10% of unemployment in a month."
I am grateful that we can continue to help the homeless who have pets with veterinary care and pet food as well as the unemployed who need pet food.
I am grateful to you, our many supporters and donors, my team of directors, staff, volunteers, donation sites and food banks!
Stay safe and stay healthy,
Genevieve Frederick
President and Founder
Feeding Pets of the Homeless
®
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1,433,917
Pounds of Pet food Collected
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208
Donation Sites Nationwide
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21,962
Pets medically treated
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$1,592,263
Given in veterinary care, food, and crates
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Success Stories
Your generous donations at work
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Tika
San Diego, CA
March 2020
A woman has been homeless for two years, receives food stamps and lives in a shelter in the San Diego, CA area. She heard about Feeding Pets of the Homeless from a friend when her dog, Tika, a 12-year old female apple head Chihuahua fell off her bunk bed at the shelter and broke her jaw. She called us and after we verified she was homeless with the shelter, we approved an examination at a partner veterinary hospital.
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Pickles
San Diego, CA
March 2020
Pickles and her human companion have been homeless for nine months living on the streets of San Diego, CA. They are on a list waiting for housing and receive food stamps. Pickles’ companion called Feeding Pets of the Homeless when her dog, a brown and white spayed female Pit Bull had been limping and not putting weight on her front left paw for the past two months.
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Skylar Young
Board Member
Skylar has been a board member with Feeding Pets of the Homeless for approximately five years.
"Every January, I volunteer at a homelessness event in the Skid Row District in downtown Los Angeles, an area notorious for its displaced population. I represent Feeding Pets of the Homeless and work with a local veterinarian and her team to service dozens of pets. A gentleman and his pit bull named Prince have visited our tent every year for the past four years. He calls the veterinarian “his vet” and is so excited to see all of us – as am I to see him. It’s truly heartwarming."
Skylar added, "Feeding Pets of the Homeless is so near to my heart because I believe the unconditional love a pet can bring to someone's life is one of the most beautiful things in the world. For a person in a vulnerable situation, like displacement, a pet's love in many cases is life-saving."
Skylar has a dog, a half poodle, half terrier named Maverick, aka Ricky La Roux.
When asked to describe Feeding Pets of the Homeless in three words, she responded
, "Love, One, Human."
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Feeding Pets of the Homeless is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and was formed in Nevada.
Gifts are tax-deductible if you itemize on your tax returns. If you don't itemize on your returns and take the standard deduction, the 2020 CARES Act allows you to claim up to $300 in cash contributions on your 2020 return thus reducing the amount of your taxable income.
Please consult your tax advisor.
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Our Donation Site partners are critical to the work that we do. Their participation and reporting help us determine our success. Each quarter Donation Sites that have reported the amount they have collected each month are entered into a drawing for a Starbucks gift card. These were our winners for the first half of the year! Congratulations!
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First Quarter:
South Davis Veterinary Center
4615 Cowell Blvd
Davis, California 95618
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Second Quarter:
Southern Colorado Spay & Neuter
1700 S Prairie Ave
Pueblo, Colorado 81005
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Our 11th Annual Nationwide Pet Food Drive, "Give A Dog A Bone" Week runs August 10th - 16th!
During this week, we work with our Donation Sites to raise awareness and encourage local communities to donate much needed pet food and supplies for pets of the homeless population. We have over 200 locations across the country.
We encourage you to donate to your nearest Donation Site; find a location near you on our
location map
. You can find a site near you, or you may drop-ship your donation to a local food bank or shelter.
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Special Feature: Help Pets, Help People
We recently had a special feature in the San Diego News and Review about what we do in that area to help support pets of the homeless population.
This publication is representative of what we do in communities across the entire United States.
Click below to read the full feature.
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Our Annual Report is Out!
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Feeding Pets of the Homeless®
2019 Annual Report
We have released our 2019 Annual Report. Take a look at our growth and all we accomplished. Our success has been because of you. Thank you for your generosity and support!
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