She said his name was Duper but it wasn’t.

She, being about 3 years old. She could not easily say S’s.

His name was Super Duper. But without the S, it was just Duper.

We told her Duper was a very good name.

We were at the homeless camp doing some outreach work. The little girl and her Mom lived there too. The girl’s preschool had a class project to do something nice for someone else. She decided she would buy a can of cat food for a hungry cat.

Three years old. Being a helper.

She knew hungry cats because there were several where they lived. That’s why The Pongo Fund was there. We provided food to the people so they could keep the cats fed. They were people and well loved cats who due to any number of circumstances had lost their homes and were now doing the best they could to get by.

The little girl did not focus on living outdoors. She went to school nearby, she had a mobile shelter to sleep in, she had books and crayons and toys and cats nearby to love.

She looked like pretty much every other 3-year-old girl.

She could not have been any cuter.

I know you can see her clear as day.

And yes, she could have been your daughter too…

I wasn’t sure why she did not use the can of cat food she bought for one of the cats where they lived. Maybe because that would not have completed the circle of giving. Maybe she gave this to me specifically to give to someone else.

How do I know that?

I asked her.

I asked if we should open the can of food right then for the cat only a few feet away. She emphatically said no because the food was for another cat. I looked at her Mom for help.

Mom explained that the food was supposed to leave the camp and be given to someone else, someone they did not know. It was supposed to be an anonymous gift, the kind of gift filled with love but not an expectation of thank you.

That was the project.

To do something nice for someone who will never know it was you who did it. It will just be a complete surprise and they can just enjoy the gift.

What a fantastic class project that was.

So this little munchkin handed me the can of food that I know cost about $4 and that’s a lot of money. And my part in the gift was to carry it forward to give to someone else with a hungry cat. I asked her if there was any particular cat she wanted it to go to. She said yes. I asked who?

She said Duper.

We left behind 48 cans of cat food that day, 25# of dry cat food and a lot of cat litter and some other supplies. A family had just done a canned food drive for us, it was a family that gets together every few months and goes to the store together to buy food for The Pongo Fund to give to others.

It was a beautiful assortment of people food, whole beans, tuna, chili, stews. It was hearty fare for hungry people and we were happy to be able to leave those cans behind along with all the cat food.

Because it’s hungry people who have hungry pets.

But the can of cat food I left with, the one for Duper?

I think that was the most special can of all.

There are thousands of hungry Dupers waiting for cat food from The Pongo Fund. We have a matching donation in place right now meaning every dollar donated will be matched and doubled. And more dollars means lots more food.

If you would like to help us, please click here https://giveguide.org/nonprofits/the-pongo-fund%20 for our Give Guide Fundraiser or please click here https://bit.ly/37joA5S to donate via our web site.

EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR will be doubled for the Dupers.

Checks can be mailed and they will be doubled too.

The Pongo Fund has helped more than 211,000 hungry and hurting animals so far. And we know there’s another 211,000 waiting for help. Please help us so we can help them.

For all the Dupers.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

The Pongo Fund / Portland, OR