The Pongo Fund relocation puts a strain on the Oregon charity that helps thousands and financial donations are needed to replenish lifesaving kibble inventory before the temperature drops. To help struggling families and their pets through the cold fall and winter months, an emergency fundraising campaign has been launched to raise funds to resupply urgently needed pet food.

Portland, OR – August 28, 2012 – The Pongo Fund pet food bank today officially announced plans to move from its current facility across from the Oregon Convention Center to a new SE Portland location and has launched a kibble-cash fundraising campaign to help secure dollars needed to replenish their exhausted kibble inventory as soon as possible. Continued damage from roof leaks that plagued the charity last winter has made their building unsafe and forced the non-profit to relocate operations. The Pongo Fund’s new location in SE Portland will expand the organization’s unparalleled service to the community as well as its one-of-a-kind pet food distributions to dozens of other social service organizations.

The Pongo Fund keeps hungry families together, with their pets, through hard times. Since its opening in November 2009, The Pongo Fund has donated nearly 4 million pet meals and facilitated some 1,000 spay/neuter surgeries, a strategic formula working in unison to reduce overcrowded shelter populations. While this move will bring many benefits, it will require The Pongo Fund to have its first ever interruption of service. During the relocation process, distribution of pet food will not occur during September. Regular operations will resume on Sunday, October 14th at their new location at 3632 SE 20th Avenue, Portland, OR, 97202.

In preparation for the move, The Pongo Fund has donated an extra 50,000 pounds of kibble to many of their community partners, including Snowcap Charities, Salvation Army, Neighborhood House, Potluck in the Park and Clackamas Service Center. The Pongo Fund also donated food to establish pet food pantries at West Columbia Gorge Humane Society and Multnomah County Animal Services. These extra food supplies will provide struggling families with increased options during this brief service interruption. However, these extra distributions have severely depleted The Pongo Fund’s stores of kibble, meaning their warehouse will need to be restocked before the charity resumes service.

Concerned members of the community, lovers of dogs and cats everywhere and loyal Pongo supporters can make a donation to the kibble-cash fundraising campaign via the Donate Now button on The Pongo Fund website at www.thepongofund.org. Donations will help restock emergency pet food supplies and ensure there is enough kibble to help pet loving families through the cold fall and winter months. Because The Pongo Fund purchases pet food at huge discounts, monetary donations go the farthest to help feed hungry animals around the state.

“Pets are family too, and having to surrender a beloved pet to a shelter because a job was lost or medical bills need to be paid makes a sad situation even worse,” said Larry Chusid, executive director and founder of The Pongo Fund. “Bowls of kibble from The Pongo Fund are often just the recipe needed to keep these families whole and to keep animals safely at home and out of the shelters.”

The Pongo Fund pet food bank uses a two-pronged approach to fight hunger and reduce animal shelter populations. The charity is best known for its pet food bank that serves thousands of struggling families from its Portland warehouse. But equally important is The Pongo Fund’s distribution network that has delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of dog and cat food to dozens of other social service organizations across Oregon and Southwest Washington, including emergency food banks and food pantries that redistribute The Pongo Fund pet food to their own clients along with human food supplies.

Donations can also be made by contacting The Pongo Fund at 503-939-7555 or mailing a check to The Pongo Fund, PO Box 8244, Portland OR 97207.

About The Pongo Fund
The Pongo Fund is an award-winning and volunteer-driven, 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity that was formed to help address a growing concern in our society: when people go hungry, their pets go hungry too. As Oregon’s pet food bank, The Pongo Fund is the only full time resource focused on preventing beloved animal companions from being surrendered to shelters simply because their families cannot afford to feed them. Over 100 social service organizations, emergency food agencies, shelters and rescues in 28 counties across Oregon and Southwest Washington have received emergency pet food assistance from The Pongo Fund, and that number continues to grow.

For more information, please go to: www.thepongofund.org, their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/thepongofund or contact us at:

The Pongo Fund
PO Box 8244
Portland OR 97207
info (at) thepongofund (dot) org
503-939-7555