December 2020 Newsletter, Issue 149
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Dear Friends,
We are heading into the end of 2020. Wow….the year has had unprecedented and unpredictable events. A pandemic, civil unrest, extreme storms and wildfires have impacted us far greater than anyone could have anticipated. We have experienced these events on global, local and individual levels and have seen the impact here at Feeding Pets of the Homeless. I am so proud of the accomplishments of our staff this year. They adapted to the stress and challenges that COVID-19 and all of these events presented to our organization. It is important now and in the future we all do our part to stop the spread of this new virus.
One thing is certain; your support has enabled us to help the thousands of pets that belong to the homeless across the country, for that I am thankful. Whether you supported us with your donations, as a Legacy Society member, your participation as a veterinarian, a Donation Site, food bank or as a volunteer, my many thanks and gratitude!
During the holiday season, we are remaining vigilant. The changes we all have had to make to our seasonal celebrations are extremely hard and stressful.
We know there are bigger challenges ahead and we are ready!
It is our hope that 2021 will be healthier, brighter and kinder.
On the note of next year, if you have invested in or converted to a Roth IRA, you do not have to worry about Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) in 2020. However, if you are like me and have a traditional IRA, you can choose to give something back to charity.
If you turn 72 years of age in 2021, you will be required to take an RMD from your non-Roth IRA. If you do not need the money or think it will adversely increase your adjusted gross income, you can have the RMD deposited DIRECTLY to the charity of your choice, preferably Feeding Pets of the Homeless.
Thank you all again for your continued support today and all year long.
Stay safe and stay hopeful,
Genevieve Frederick
President and Founder
Feeding Pets of the Homeless®
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1,468,419
Pounds of Pet Food Collected
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214
Donation Sites Nationwide
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22,279
Pets Medically Treated
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$1,688,577
Given in Veterinary Care, Food, and Crates
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Success Stories
Your generous donations at work
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Journey
Medford, OR
A woman and her dog have been homeless in her car for the past three years in Medford, OR. She parks wherever the police don’t kick her out and receives social security income. When her dog, Journey, a sweet nine-year-old spayed female 11-pound Cavalier kept shaking her head and wasn’t eating much she called Feeding Pets of the Homeless. She learned about us from No Pet Left Behind. We verified her homelessness with a local non-profit organization where she receives services and approved an examination at a partner veterinary hospital.
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Sage
Pismo Beach, CA
Sage is a 14-year-old Westie. She and her owner have been living in their car for the last two months. They became homeless after her owner lost her job due to COVID-19.
Sage was experiencing fainting spells when her owner reached out to us for assistance. We verified her homelessness with a social worker and were able to get her seen by one of our over 1000+ network hospitals.
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Giving Tuesday is TODAY!
The biggest day of giving is here! We hope you will join us in making sure pets of the homeless have the food, supplies, emergency veterinary care and sleeping crates at shelters that they need.
This year we have opened up an online store for a limited time. Order a gift for that someone who is hard to buy for with the gift of giving! We have something for everyone on your list including our holiday themed t-shirt. If you order up in size you could have the cutest sleep shirt this holiday season! We even have shirts in kids sizes, too.
Every order gives back to our orgainzation and helps in our efforts to keep people and pets together. We know how important the human-animal bond is, especially to the homeless. Their pets provide them with unconditional love.
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Laura Brown
Office Manager
Laura has been with us for five years and wears many hats here at Feeding Pets of the Homeless as our office manager. She manages staff, reports to the Executive Director, provides secondary Case Manager support, special events and monitors Volunteer projects. She also interviews potential new hires and provides training and performance reviews.
She has two pups, Punxi, a seven-year-old Pit Lab Catahoula mix, who recently became blind and Polson, a Chaweenie Corgi mix.
When asked why Feeding Pets of the Homeless is important to her she said, "It warms my heart knowing that every day I'm working to help save someone's best friend."
Laura shares a call that has impacted her, "A case of a couple who were participating in rehab. They couldn't afford emergency surgery, and were close to having their pet euthanized. We saved the pet (who had eaten a blanket hem) and hopefully the couple too."
"The homeless are people just like you and me. Sure there are some who have gone down the wrong path, sometimes by choice, and sometimes not, but in most cases they have become homeless due to disabilities and not being able to afford medical bills and rent. Once you become homeless, it's really tough to get out of it."
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Coldwell Banker
“In conjunction with the national Coldwell Banker Homes for Dogs Pet Food Drive, we are proud to be able to contribute dog and cat food to both the Pets of the Homeless organization as well as the Carson City Chapter of the Nevada Humane Society,” Victoria Williams, Coldwell Banker Select managing broker, said. “All of our agents support both of these great groups who take care of the animals who have no voices. We like to provide for those in need through all of the charitable organizations in our beautiful Capital City.”
Read the full story HERE.
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Reno Corvette Club
"The Reno Corvette Club delivered 1,655 pounds of pet food and supplies valued at $3,645 to Feeding Pets of the Homeless, which were distributed to Friends in Service Helping (FISH), a Carson City-based social services organization and pet food provider site for Feeding Pets of the Homeless."
Read the full story HERE.
Would you and your business like to host your own pet food drive for your community?
Check out our donation site toolkit to get started!
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The Carol Moss Foundation |
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Feeding Pets of the Homeless received two grants from the Los Angeles-based Carol Moss Foundation totaling $115,000 this year. This grant money will help the non-profit serve its mission to provide pet food, supplies, emergency veterinary care and wellness clinics to companion animals of homeless individuals across the United States.
The Carol Moss Foundation’s mission is to contribute to the efforts of those working to improve health care, serve veterans and their families and better the quality of life of animals and their human companions in the United States.
Feeding Pets of the Homeless spent nearly 10% of its 2020 emergency veterinary care budget in Los Angeles County. In the last year, the organization has provided over $28,000 in emergency veterinary care for companion animals of homeless individuals in Los Angeles.
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