The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank, an all-volunteer non-profit public charity, provides quality Canidae, Felidae and Dogswell pet food for financially struggling families unable to afford pet food. Our goal: to keep their family pets from starving.

We are conveniently open to any family in honest need twice per month, and also donate pet food to numerous family focused charitable organizations to share with their own clients throughout Oregon & SW Washington. Still, sometimes it is not enough. Such is the case when families don’t find out about us in time, and both their cupboards and wallets run bare.

That very thing happened today.

Jerry called and said he had no food for his cats. Although his voice mail message was spoken calmly, he made it clear that he was facing desperate times. He has five cats, and has also taken on the responsibility to feed three cats belonging to a neighbor that also cannot afford food. Unforeseen expenses ate up the pet food dollars he had budgeted from his limited disability check, leaving him with no food for himself or his cats. And no money to buy any.

I called him back immediately, and learned he had cat food to last only through today. He had gone to his local food pantry for human food assistance, but was distressed to find they had no cat food to provide. After all, his cats are his family.

He knew they couldn’t all survive another week sharing one meager food box. He called several groups seeking aid, but no one would help. Luckily he was referred to us. With no where else to turn, he didn’t know what to do. Fortunately The Pongo Fund knows what to do, and that’s why we provide some 50,000 meals per month helping to keep family pets alive when no one else will.

Jerry is disabled and has difficulty going too far from home. So I made an emergency plea to Julie at Green Dog Pet Supply in Portland, asking for assistance. They’re a top notch pet supply store close to where Jerry lives and, if Jerry could get to them, would they help? Without a moment of hesitation, Julie said absolutely. While we were on the phone she immediately organized enough high quality cat food to get Jerry’s cat family through this crisis, and told me to call him back and invite him on over.

I made that second call to Jerry just a few minutes after my initial call to him. When I told him the good news he could hardly believe it and didn’t know what to say. He said he was embarrassed, and didn’t know how to thank me. I told him the fact that he called was thanks enough, but the real thanks should go to Green Dog Pet Supply. Because today is the day that Green Dog Pet Supply saved Jerry’s family from starving.

Thank you Green Dog Pet Supply!

Larry Chusid, Director, The Pongo Fund

(Green Dog Pet Supply www.greendogpetsupply.com )