October 2020 Newsletter, Issue 147 |
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Feeding 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
We have all felt the effects of COVID-19. Some are stressful and some are annoying, but if you are homeless, the effects can be deadly.
I used Google to research the impact of COVID-19 and death of homeless, and came across this article from KQED in San Francisco.
The article outlines the trickledown effect of COVID-19 on the homeless, but what is missing from the article is what has happened to the pets of these homeless. While many were placed in hotels around the city, only those without pets were allowed.
Pets of the homeless provide emotional support, comfort, unconditional love, and in many instances, safety and security, which is why Feeding Pets of the Homeless® is working diligently to keep people and pets together.
Our organization has received over 6,100 calls so far this year, a 27% increase over last year’s 4,800 in the same time period. These calls are from homeless and those about to be homeless asking for our help, where to get pet food, where to get free or low-cost veterinary care and where to find a homeless shelter that will allow their loving pet.
Our staff spend most of their time verifying callers’ homelessness and providing assistance. Some of the challenges our staff face include difficulty in verifying homelessness from closed or hard to reach welfare offices, food banks and social workers.
Case managers are often met with resistance from homeless callers when they ask for a photo of their living situation (tent, encampment or vehicle) because they are afraid authorities will come and take their pet and children if they know where they are located. While we never ask for a specific location, many of the clients are still troubled. Our case managers work hard to build trust and are great at reassuring them that we will not ask for their precise location, nor would we ever share it.
You have been a strong supporter of Feeding Pets of the Homeless, and your support allows us to continue our mission to help those that need it most. We appreciate your past donations, no matter the size of the donation.
Warmest regards,
Genevieve Frederick
President and Founder
Feeding Pets of the Homeless®
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1,447,400
Pounds of Pet Food Collected
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210
Donation Sites Nationwide
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22,100
Pets Medically Treated
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$1,640,983
Given in Veterinary Care, Food, and Crates
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Success Stories
Your generous donations at work
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Precious
A woman has been homeless for two years in Eureka, CA living in her van with her companion animal, Precious, her seven-year-old German Shepard mix. She receives food stamps and is unemployed. A friend recommended Feeding Pets of the Homeless® to her after they had received assistance. Precious was having some difficulty urinating and would whine when touched.
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King
A woman has been living in her vehicle for the past three years, in Sacramento, CA along with her 11-month old Pit Bull puppy, King. She is unemployed and utilizes food stamps. In June, King was hit by a vehicle and was seriously injured. King’s owner walked into an animal emergency hospital looking for assistance for the puppy. The staff contacted Feeding Pets of the Homeless® to ask if we could provide assistance.
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Melanee Hall
Case Manager
Melanee has been with Feeding Pets of the Homeless for three months.
She has a one-year-old Nigerian dwarf goat named Oliver, and an eight-year-old Pug named Dori.
"Feeding Pets of the Homeless is important to me because without the services we provide animals would suffer due to untreated illness or injury. These pets are sometimes all that the client has left and if they were to perish the client would be all alone and the loss of that companionship would be devastating."
When asked if there is a specific case that impacted her, she said, "several cases have impacted me, but I think the one I reflect on the most is a client who was living in the woods in a tent in Oregon. A fire came through and decimated the area where her camp was. She was also dealing with a very sick animal. Feeding Pets of the Homeless approved an exam and the pet was seen and put on medication due to heart failure and was returned to the client to live out the remainder of its life."
Melanee said, "Three words I would use to describe Feeding Pets of the Homeless are amazing, compassionate and lifesaving."
She added, "I wish others could see that being homeless doesn’t mean you are a drug addict, lazy or bad with money. So many factors go into a person becoming homeless, yes some people are homeless due to drug addiction or untreated mental illness, but what about the people that live paycheck to paycheck trying to support a family on minimum wage in a world where everything is inflated. With the current pandemic we are seeing people that have never been homeless, but have lost their income due to COVID-19."
There are people that see homeless individuals on the street with a pet and say they shouldn’t have that pet if they are unable to feed or take care of them. To those people I would say, "That animal could possibly be all they have and all that is keeping them going. Be kind!"
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A Community Thrives Fundraising Event |
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A Crowdfunding & Grantmaking Initiative
We are very excited to be participating in this event for the first time this year.
A Community Thrives offers nonprofit organizations the opportunity to fundraise for the chance at additional grant funds. Our goal to be eligible for these additional funds is $6,000 by October 16th. We are already getting close.
Will you help us reach our goal?
Throughout the campaign there are also bonus challenges. Keep an eye on your emails to know when they begin.
One of the biggest ways you can help during this campaign is to have our loyal supporters (that's you!) share the link and why you support Feeding Pets of the Homeless with your community!
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you!
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A Community Thrives Donation
Big thanks to Vicki S. for donating $6,000 to get us to our goal on day one!
Unfortunately, the web link ACT gave us was live before the donations would count towards our goal.
We are still greatly appreciative of her donation, and at an average cost of $344 per pet, we will be able to provide emergency vet care to over 17 pets. Thank you for caring so much about these pets!
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Do you know a homeless person who did not get an Economic Stimulus payment?
The IRS is reaching out to find people and the homeless that need that payment more than most of us. It could mean $1,200 or more if they are married and/or if they have children.
If you don't usually file a tax return, the IRS may not have enough information to determine your eligibility. This includes those receiving the federal benefits listed below.
* Those receiving Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), survivor benefits
* Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients
* Recipients of Veterans Affairs Compensation and Pension (C&P) benefits
* Individuals who receive Railroad Retirement (RRB) benefits
To find out more and instructions for applying click the button below.
Deadline to apply is Oct. 15th.
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Girl Scout Gold Award Project - Karena Mo
Karena reached out to our Founder, Genevieve Fredrick, to work on her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. Her idea was to host a virtual pet food drive.
She planned and executed a complete campaign that included partnering with local organizations to get the word out, recruiting six volunteers and organizing contactless pick up of pet food to deliver to a partner pet food provider site.
Her campaign collected a fair market value of dog and cat food and supplies totaling over $665! Thank you Karena for your efforts! We are delighted that she has the desire to spread awareness of the need of the homeless and their pets!
This is just one of many ways that you too can get involved. Visit our website to learn of the many options you have to become part of the Feeding Pets of the Homeless community.
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Danada Veterinary Hospital
Wheaton, IL
Thank you for your participation in this year's pet food drive!
Danada Veterinary Hospital collected, with the help of their generous community, over 2,700 pounds. These contributions included dry and canned pet food, treats, chew bones, toys and cat litter.
The items were distributed to People's Resource Center and Glen Ellyn Food Pantry. Thank you Danada Veterinary Hospital for encouraging your community to participate. They sure showed up! These items will go a long way to help companion animals and their owners in your community.
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