And then there were five. Five years, that is. Because it was exactly five years ago today on November 9, 2009, that The Pongo Fund opened our doors for the first time. And now there are 7,000,000.

Pam Bartel was the first guest to receive food that special day. She and her husband had lost jobs and were facing foreclosure. They’d already given up so much. But giving up their pets – Fuzzy the dog and Spaghetti the cat – was not going to happen. Even if it meant standing in line for free pet food. And that’s exactly what they did to keep their family together.

A few minutes later while loading large bags of dog and cat food into the trunk of her car, Pam Bartel cried. And she said she was looking forward to feeding Fuzzy and Spaghetti the moment they got home.

Because for a family facing more struggles than they could count, bags of high-quality dog and cat food were the answer. The wet eyes said so. And we were there to help make it possible.

And since that day we’ve been there another 7,000,000 times. To provide 7,000,000 high-quality meals for 70,000 hungry and starving pets. Pets that are family. Pets that are deeply loved by people that turned to The Pongo Fund for the help they needed when they could not get that help anywhere else.

The help they needed to keep their family together. The help they needed to nourish both stomach and soul.

We will mark the occasion today by doing what we always do. Helping more people. Helping more pets. Keeping more families together.

There will be no party. No balloons or confetti. No dancing poodles. Just a moment of quiet reflection that we are doing something good. Something that you and me and each and every one of us that has come together to keep The Pongo Fund moving forward deserves to be proud of.

What began in the back of a Chevy Trailblazer a few years ago has blossomed into Oregon’s only full time charity fighting animal hunger. More than 7,000,000 meals of fighting animal hunger. With only high-quality food.

We have become a vital and necessary emergency food resource; not an optional one. For both people and their pets. Because it is hungry people that have hungry pets. And when those people go hungry, their pets are going hungry too.

People that love their pets just like you do. People that might even be your friends and your neighbors. Your own family. Proud people. People struggling to keep both themselves and their animals fed.

Because during the toughest of times the food box filled with people food suddenly becomes pet food. The cans of tuna become cat food; the package of ground beef and cans of chili become dog food. Same for the macaroni and cheese, soup, oatmeal, rice, pasta, green beans and more.

Food desperately needed for hungry people ends up being shared with hungry pets. Shared by people that continue to go hungry themselves because feeding their pets is more important than feeding themselves. Because the heart says so. Because pets are family too.

But thanks to The Pongo Fund things have gotten a lot better in Oregon and Washington. Because with our help tens of thousands of people with tens of thousands of pets are still together. Tens of thousands of beloved dogs and cats still at home and not in shelters. A couple hundred horses too.

And that’s because The Pongo Fund was there to help when we were needed most. Because you made that possible.

So sometime today on Sunday, November 9th, please take a moment and say a prayer for the animals. For those of you with pets please greet them with some especially kind and loving words. A good back scratch, a belly rub and extra treats. For those of you with cats please try to do the same thing. Even if they ignore you 🙂

And for those of you currently without pets please remember those that have brought you joy thanks to their unconditional love. All of those no longer here with us. Those that have gone over the Rainbow Bridge.

The Pongo Fund is powered by a dedicated volunteer Dream Team that would make any organization proud. Fueled forward by a group of generous and loving donors that keep our shelves stocked and our rent paid. Made proud by millions of kind words that come from each and every one of you.

Today, November 9, 2014, we turn 5. And together we continue to help others like no one else does. Two and four-legged alike. Giving a chance to animals that might not otherwise have a chance and giving hope to families with little else to be hopeful for.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org