We never saw this one coming. An unemployed man who depended on The Pongo Fund to feed his two older dogs and even older cat. To make matters worse he was working hard to kick a deadly drug habit. With no money he was using his limited food stamps to feed his pets. Because, as he said, without them he had no other reason to live.
But his times were tough. Just one look and we could see how hard he was fighting. So in addition to pet food we also provided him with good people food too. Food paid for by private donations separate from our pet food donations.
Because for this man that was fighting so hard to get clean, we wanted to make sure he had good nutrition for himself too. Because if anything happened to him, those pets didn’t have a chance.
It had been a while since we’d seen him, but then he called. He was almost whispering into the phone. His voice was cracking. Worried he had relapsed, we quickly asked what was going on.
He said he was now working in a pawn shop. And we were relieved to hear that he was still clean and his pets were doing well. But something was wrong and that’s why he was calling.
An older woman was in the shop wanting to pawn some very personal items. Things that had belonged to her late husband. And that’s what caught his attention. Because they were things that he knew no one would ever pawn if they had any other choice. So he asked her about it. And what she said is why he was whispering into the phone with us now.
She said that her pets were going hungry. Pets that she’d had for many years. And she was not going to let that happen. So that’s why she was there. Because with her husband gone, her pets were all she had left.
So this man who had trusted The Pongo Fund during some of his toughest times was now calling to see if we could quickly step in to help someone who was facing their own toughest times. She got on the phone next.
Our Emergency Kibble Response Team responded immediately with high-quality dog and cat food. And a beautiful food box brimming with high-quality human food too. She said she liked making salads so we included some of the most gorgeous produce ever. There was also a gas card and a gift card to a local grocer for more help as needed.
And the man who made the call? He could not have been prouder that he had now paid it forward to help someone else.
And this is why we Pongo.
Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. It Could Be Any Of Us. thepongofund.org