It’s a choice that no one should have to make. But for Kevin’s family, it was a very real choice. And diapers won.

There was no money left, not a cent, to buy anything else. Meaning that Prince, their beloved cat, would face dinnertime without dinner. There was a single can of tuna to share, caught and canned for them by a friend. A special treat for their dinner that they would now share three ways so Prince would have some dinner too. But that meant there was still no cat food.

Kevin called The Pongo Fund around 3pm. He said he needed help. And that was just one of nearly a dozen similar calls on this day; the first one coming as early as 6:00 am. Please understand that we don’t mind getting these calls; helping families and their pets is what we do. And we’re committed to doing it well, helping several thousand family pets each month. But the dozen or so calls that came on this day came on a day that we were not even open; a testament to the trust placed in us. People know that we’re here to help them, no matter when they call us. And that’s a compliment to everyone involved with The Pongo Fund.

Economic conditions continue to erode. Families facing financial crisis continue to hold on any way that they can. But holding on is getting tougher and tougher. And hope is easily lost. It’s a struggle to keep a family fed every single day, and it’s a struggle that would eventually wear anyone down. For those families with pets, pets that are likely the sole source of sunlight on otherwise cloudy days, the struggles are even worse.

Because after a while the lack of food means that a beloved family pet gets surrendered to a local shelter. The realities of it finding a new home are slim. The results are tragic. All because a family is a few dollars and a few kibble short. The truth is, it could be anyone of us. For Kevin and his family, it was the perfect storm of a lost job and a new baby.

And that’s why The Pongo Fund exists. We’re here to provide a quality meal for the family pets of anyone in honest need. Further protecting these beloved animals from being abandoned or surrendered, simply because their families cannot currently afford the food to keep their pets fed.

Thanks to our generous friends at Canidae, Felidae and Dogswell, we’ve provided more than 500,000 quality meals for starving family pets so far this year. Giving a chance to animals that otherwise wouldn’t have a chance; and hope to families frequently without any hope.

The first thing Kevin did when he walked in was extend his hand, apologizing for being late. I welcomed him and thanked him for making the drive. A drive that was more than an hour in rush-hour traffic, because feeding their cat was no less important to him than feeding his child. And here he was, apologizing to me for being late. I could see that this man was hurting.

He told me that he was ashamed. He asked “if a father cannot feed his family, what kind of a man is he?” I told him he was the kind of man that took the time to ask for help, and that was important. He smiled a small smile. It wasn’t a smile like an on-your-birthday smile. It was a sense-of-relief smile; the kind of smile that meant he now knew he would make it through another day with his entire family still together.

As Kevin left I assured him that The Pongo Fund would continue to help him as often as he needed us. He thanked me, emphasizing it so that I understood just how important this really was. He said that The Pongo Fund treated him like a friend, not a stranger. And he never expected that.

A bit later I noticed him still parked on the corner. I walked over and saw that it was not just Kevin, but also his wife and baby. I asked if everything was ok; they assured me it was. Said it was time to feed the baby, and that’s what they had been doing. Parked on the corner during rush hour traffic, and bent over in the back seat with a bottle. With the baby fed, now it was time to head home to feed Prince.

On this day The Pongo Fund made a difference for Kevin and his family. And that includes their cat Prince, because pets are family too. While The Pongo Fund is most widely known for running a pet food bank that helps thousands of families and family pets every month, we are really much more than that. Because we give more than food; we give hope.

Just ask the family that drove more than an hour so their cat would have food for his dinner. We provided them with kibble but most importantly, we provided them with hope and solace. And a reminder that we continue to be here for them; to help them through these tough times. Because that’s what friends do.

Larry Chusid, Director