[Akari_32]

Hey guys! I have a request for you all 🙂

I would like to see how many times we can all donate (food, treats, supplies, money, time, anything!) to our local shelters in just two weeks. Dig through your stashes, find some coupons in your local papers and online, rally up your friends and family, open up your hearts, and help out those in need!

All I would like to see is a head count. You don’t have to share what you donated, just that you did.

Who’s up for it?!

I’ve got my first run ready for tomorrow, and after another couple couponing trips, I should have some more here soon 🙂

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/CECFD415-9AF0-4A3A-98DD-D40B8F7B093F_zpskuwyacv2.jpg

[Cyndi]

Did you check those bags and make sure they’re not on the recall list? Sorry, had to ask!

I wish I could donate something, but I’m broke until next pay. 🙁

[Akari_32]

Yep! I’m not in the right states, didn’t buy from the right store, and they aren’t the right size bags and formulas to be the recalled ones. I’ve also had these put away for about 4 months lol I did check as soon as I saw about the recall, though. I am going to double check now though, in case they expanded it since I last looked…. Lol Thanks for looking out for that!

Hehehe, that’s what coupns are for! Check out my last post in the coupons thread and see how I did on my last haul :p

*edit* They did expand! But to larger bags, and still a different store and formula. So, all good!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Akari_32.

[Cyndi]

Akari, I did check out your post about your “haul”! My sister does that crap all the time and she pisses me off! Lol! I never get good deals on anything.

I will though, however, keep my eye out for sales and coupons next time I go to the pet store and pick up a bag of something and donate it!

[Akari_32]

LOL It’s a lot of work to learn the ropes, but once you figure it out, it’s not too hard :p

Looking forward to seeing how many people accept my challenge!

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Akari..I think that is wonderful that you are donating. More people should. However many people who do give prefer to keep it to themselves so dont be offended if not too many respond.

[Dori]

Hi Akari. I make it a point to donate to my local shelter (well two shelters now that I’ve moved to a different county) once a week. I alternate one week Fulton County, Ga. the next week Cobb County, Ga. Glad you are re minding people to do so. Most of our dogs are so lucky that it’s easy to forget to pay it forward. Thanks for the heads up to all.

[Susan]

Hi, another thing that helps the poundies & staff is volunteering as a dog walker once a week..some pounds are that full, some dogs haven’t had a walk in weeks, just couped up in their cage becoming depressed…

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Akari, I think it’s great that you donate food to your local shelter. But my local shelter won’t accept cheap foods like Pedigree or Ol’roy. They have a list of approved foods. Stuff like Science Diet and Iams. So if you walked in with Pedigree or a similar food, they won’t even take it.

[Melissaandcrew]

Well I guess that shelter doesn’t need donations. Shelters truly in need will take what they can get.

[Akari_32]

Oh, I loved volunteering at the shelter! Wish I could do it now, but my schedule is so crazy these days with school, work and interning that I’m lucky to even see daylight :/ Please, if you cannot donate physical goods, donate your time! Pet some kitties and walk some dogs! This county is lucky to have so many non-profit shelters and rescues where the animals are walked and trained and loved and vetted on a daily basis, but I know there are plenty of county shelters where animals are admitted and forgotten, and left to rot until they are put down or adopted.

Wow, I can’t imagine a shelter turning food away! That’s crazy! I mean, I understand where they are coming from, but come on. Any food is better than no food.

All food donations made at the shelter I donate to go into a pet food bank, where people must show need to be accepted in to because donations and funds are so scarce. Every few months they run out of food completely, and have to ask for donations on Facebook. The economy took a terrible hit ever since hurricane Charley, and it’s barely picked back up since. Those who have money now aren’t so willing to give any up because the economy can change so quickly. That’s why I try to encourage people to donate to shelters (both people and animal ones). So many animals are given up here because their owners can no longer afford to feed and care for them– it’s terrible.

And then here I am, eating lunchables that I bought because they were on sale for $1, while my dogs are eating Wellness and Nutro LOL I’m one of those people who will go hungry so that my animals are cared for properly. You guys are the only ones that understand :p

[LabsRawesome]

Melissa, I agree. But that is the shelter’s policy. They must get enough donations of foods on their approved list. It is a kill shelter, so I don’t really understand why their so picky. I was kinda shocked the first time I saw their list of approved dog/cat food/litter/cleaning supplies. LOL. Btw I adopted my 3 cats , and my Springer Spaniel from them. 😀

[Dori]

Hi Akari and all. As I mentioned, I donate food, treats, supplies once a week. Four times a year I make a nice size monetary donation to my local shelters and human societies. Unfortunately, though I’d love to donate time with the dogs I really can’t because I’m allergic to them. I always call when I’m on my way and one of the volunteers comes out to take my donations. I wish I could spend time with the dogs, but I do what I can.

[Akari_32]

I know how you feel, Dori! I’ve come to the conclusion that if it has fur or produces pollen, I’m allergic to it. Thankfully, as long as the furry friends are kept on a diet that keep theirs skin and coat nice, they don’t bother me too bad (which is rarely the case with anyone’s pets in these parts, and cats are the worst in my case). Living in Florida, everything is always blooming, so I’m always in a state of clogged sinuses and non-breathing. Certain things (like too much unkempt cat, and certain kinds of pollens) will give me a migraine that I may or not be able to get rid of for the next week and half. I clearly live in the wrong state for this @.@ I used to avoid the cat room at the shelter if I could, but some people would want to look at the dogs, then want to be shown the cats. If there were kittens in there, though, I’d suffer the headache later just to play with them. It was worth it! XD

I figure, I already can’t breath no matter what, so I might as well have a good time lol But, yes, do what you can! Don’t make yourself miserable over anything. That’s not how helping out is supposed to work at all :p It’s great that they come out and get your donations (instead of turning away anything not worthy *rolls eyes* lol)!

[InkedMarie]

My local shelter is the same as Labs. Someone told me that they have a relationship with SD where they get food from them & are only able to accept the same food.

[InkedMarie]

I just remembered this. Back in 1999, I worked at this shelter; it was old, moldy, dark, damp….pretty gross. We took any food. Since then, they built a state of the art shelter. I wonder if SD helped in some way?

[Akari_32]

I bet they do. Our local shelter used to be an old house. Then they suddenly had money to build an actual building, and expanded several times in the last 15 or so years. They also use SD, to the best of my knowledge, because they send every animals home with a small bag of it, and a coupon. I wonder if SD donates it, or sells it to them at cost (which is pretty cheap, from what I hear from my Canadian vet tech friend)…? And then how does a struggling no-kill, open admission shelter suddenly have the money to improve their facilities? They’ve gotta be getting help from somewhere.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that a big company is willing to help shelters so many ways. But why would some shelters then refuse to take certain foods? I’m sure they can find use for “non-approved” brands! If the community is willing to help them out, they should be turing around and and helping the community. At least set up a pet food pantry, or something. When so many people are giving their animals up because they can’t afford to care for them, any food is better than no food!

[theBCnut]

Our local kill shelter takes anything. I bring canned cat food regularly and have adopted several of my cats from them.

Our local no kill cat shelter won’t adopt to me because I own a barn. My vet nearly hit the floor when she heard that. The shelter adopts outdoor cats, no problem, but not if you have a barn. I wanted to adopt an indoor cat, but was rejected due to a barn that was in no way attached to the house that the cat would be living in. I don’t support them. But I do give money to the no kill dog shelter.

[Dori]

Hi “Nut”. I don’t understand. What has having a barn got to do whether you are qualified to adopt cats or dogs, for that matter? Call me naive but I don’t get the correlation. You’re not a suitable person to adopt because you have a barn and are a caring, responsible animal “guardian” owner, or whatever????? I’m a little lost here.

Makes me want to pull what little hair I have left on my head out!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by Dori.

[Akari_32]

Wow, Patty, that’s crazy! What do they think a barn has anything to do with anything, especially if the cat is indoors…? Very strange.

Anyways, I have more goodies to take to the shelter! Dry dog food, canned cat food, and a toy (though I feel like I should have gotten more than one toy lol). I’ll be dropping everything off at the shelters thrift store on the way to work in the morning. I think I need to sprout a few more arms… LOL

[Melissaandcrew]

Stupid rule-They automatically assume every one with a barn will stick the cat in it and make it fend for itself. Old time farmers used to(and some still do) not feed the barn cats as they figured they needed to be hungry to keep the rodents out. Ugh. Science diet supports a lot of shelters-they get free food, and pay shipping only-I know our local one does/did it.

[DogFoodie]

I recently stopped to feed some stray cats I pass everyday on the way to work and met a lovely woman who was also stopping for the same reason. She said that she noticed that someone else (me) had put out some food for the cats behind the dumpster previously and when our paths crossed, she stopped to chat.

She said that the owner of the restaurant, behind which the cats lived, had tried to run off the cats. She said that she always stopped earlier in the morning, before the restaurant opened (same reason I stopped early), to avoid running into the owner. Then she told me that she had been stopping every single morning, leaving both wet and dry food for the cats. She even came all winter, even when our temperatures hit nearly 30 below zero. She’s been feeding these cats and others at two other locations for years. Years.

I’ve seen her pull up near the dumpster in her little silver car. As soon as she rolls in, the cats know it’s her and the come over to the car to greet her. They even walk up to her car and rub up against her tires.

Her name is Celeste. Keep her in your prayers. She’s a blessing to these kitties.

[Akari_32]

You two are awesome, Foodie! Those kitties are lucky to have you guys 🙂 As long as the cats aren’t getting in to storage areas, the restaurant owner should be happy to have free pest control LOL

Does your area have a trap, neuter, release program?

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