“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

Welcome to The Pongo Fund Limited Edition tshirts and hoodies. Built with love the old-fashioned way, one at a time, right here in Portland, Oregon. High quality and eco-friendly, the tshirt is 100% cotton and the hoodie is a cotton/poly blend. Colors include true navy blue or black.

Both the shirt and the hoodie have the same powerful quote on the back. The shirt front carries a bold and very cool State of Oregon surrounding a Pongo logo. The hoodie has the same but smaller State of Oregon Pongo logo on the left chest.

I walked in and there it was. The orange paper. The felt-pen printing. The lake of mistake in the middle. And it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.

Taped and retaped a few times but the message remained clear. If you need help, call The Pongo Fund. That big black section in the middle tries to hide an error but actually helps define the beauty of the wording.

Nothing needs to be perfect. It just needs to be.

There are Angels Among Us. And they continue to blow my mind with their love and kindness. You won’t believe it.

The young family that adopted Bella the Pitbull after she was shot in the head, putting every penny that they didn’t have on the line to take out a high-interest credit card loan to pay her lifesaving vet bills. I told you about them just five days ago. The original story is here: https://www.thepongofund.org/…/26/bella-got-shot-in-the-head/ .

What they did then was beyond belief. Already struggling and temporarily needing food stamps to survive, yet they did even more to help a dog not even theirs. But what I learned next will floor you.

Several of you reached out to me to learn more about their young children, two boys around 8 & 11. You knew that without money these kids would go without Christmas gifts so you asked me how to help them too. You also knew this family deserved a Christmas Dinner that they could not afford and you wanted to help with that too.

So I asked, carefully, so as to not take away their dignity. I asked the Mom what her sons enjoy? She said helping others.

I was baffled so I asked again, more specifically looking for some ideas of what we could buy them.

Her reply floored me.

She said maybe some yarn.

I asked what she meant and she said for Christmas the family is making gifts for the homeless. They cannot afford gifts for each other so they have purchased yarn and other crafting supplies and each one of them will knit scarves and gloves to give to those less fortunate.

She said they do this as a reminder to their sons that there is always someone with less and giving to help others is better than getting. Can you believe it!!!

I told you. Angels Among Us.

They already live with little and seek even less. Helping others is their plan.

Bella continues to improve. Thanks to each one of you she is eating great food and sleeping in her comfy new bed and feeling your love and prayers. In other words she is recovering well. Surrounded by the family that loves her.

The family that can’t afford their own gifts this year instead making homemade gifts for the homeless. The love they receive from helping others is their own gift to themselves!

Angels They Are. I told you so.

If you’d like to donate to help Bella and her Family, please click here and your donation will be tripled today: http://bit.ly/1MQ3Hn5 .

The Angels watch over and help us every day. Helping them back is a good thing to do. I know. They told me.

Helping The Angels. And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Angels Among Us. thepongofund.org

The photo? The yellow paper with money? That was sent by one of you to help the Angels. Whoever it was? Thank you!

The donation link again: http://bit.ly/1MQ3Hn5 .

If you prefer to use Paypal then please click here: https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/ .

And if you’d like to mail a check, that works too. Just tell us it’s for Bella and her Family. Mailing address is The Pongo Fund, PO Box 9000, Portland OR 97207.

‪#‎givingtuesday‬ ‪#‎pitbull‬ ‪#‎pibble‬ ‪#‎gunshot‬ ‪#‎rescue‬ ‪#‎hero‬ ‪#‎pongo‬

‪#‎bella‬‪#‎love‬ ‪#‎portland‬ ‪#‎angels‬

Sometimes it makes sense only after it doesn’t. Three days ago we told you about sweet Bella, the love muffin pitbull that was shot in the head.

Please don’t speculate and please save your anger because this is a bad story gone good and it will bring you only tears of joy. And right now with everything bad going on in the world, I think we could all use that. You’ll understand.

But let’s focus on what’s really special. Bella was adopted by a family who took out a high-interest credit card loan just to pay the thousands in emergency veterinary costs to save her life. While that might not sound special, what is special is that this family adopted Bella AFTER she had been shot. They were her only hope and in the blink of an eye they were there for her.

But that’s what makes this even more amazing, that this young family is so amazing.

Because this family that stepped up was already struggling to pay their own bills. That meant that right now during the holidays they already knew there would not be much in the way of holiday gifts for their two young sons.

But they saved Bella and, as they told me, that’s what mattered.

Bella continues to improve. She’s eating super high-quality food from The Pongo Fund and sleeping happy in a Pongo bed. And today’s good news update is that she’s now enjoying solid stools.

And for those of you that know what that means, then you celebrate this moment big time with all of us at The Pongo Fund. Because solid stools are a big step for this sweet girl who is using every bit of strength she has to fight infection and continue her recovery. Solid Stools. HURRAY!

And here’s some more good news. Three days ago we asked you, our Facebook Family, to help us raise the thousands to pay the outstanding bills needed to save Bella’s life.

AND YOU DID IT!!!

You responded with full Pongo Power and we now have the funds available to pay this big bill. And the best part? The family that fell deeper into debt to save the life of a dog that was not even theirs has no idea yet that their multi-thousand dollar debt will be paid by each one of you that has sent love and money.

But why is Scooby in today’s photo and not Bella? Because it just seemed like fun.

You see, Scooby gets a monthly allowance that he uses to help others less fortunate. This is not part of The Pongo Fund, this is The Scooby Fund and it’s his own money that he earns from doing chores like keeping the blankets warm and licking all the crumbs off the kitchen floor. And whenever he can he always steps in to help others.

And when he heard about Bella he was the first one to donate. Just a couple of days ago he also paid for a bunch of stuff for an elderly cat that needed a lot of help too.

While we were out walking we came across these two buddies that decided it would be fun to tag-team Scooby. And Scooby thought it was great!

The photo has absolutely no connection to Bella but that’s ok. Sometimes my writing isn’t connected either, the sentences just roll along like Scooby does. The meaning may not always be clear. But the intentions are always good.

So please enjoy your Sunday knowing Bella is better, you helped raise the money to pay her medical bills and Scooby met two new friends.

It’s all good.

And this is why we Pongo!

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Bella Gets Better. thepongofund.org

#pitbull #pibble #gunshot #rescue #hero #pongo #Bella #love #portland

Bella, the sweet pitbull shot in the head a few days ago continues her recovery. The four drainage ports have been removed from her skull, and as you can see she is sleeping in the comfy new bed provided by The Pongo Fund.

You can read the original story posted on November 26th here on our blog: https://www.thepongofund.org/…/26/bella-got-shot-in-the-head/ .

This is one brave girl, loved by a family of heroes. And that’s why The Pongo Fund is here to help. And we thank you for helping too, because without you we don’t exist.

Just a few days left to get your Pongo Voodoo on. Because this is Saturday, November 28th, and November 30th is when we must say goodbye to the truly delicious Pongo Voodoo Doughnut.

I’ve had several and they are out of this world! I’m eating one right now as I write this post. A lightly glazed old fashioned, giant dog-bone shaped doughnut, filled with yummy apricot preserves. If you’d like a dozen, call in your order one day ahead and you can even change up the filling to include chocolate custard or anything your heart desires.

The Scooby Thanksgiving Sampler. Because who knows more about being Thankful and Grateful than the 147 year-old King of the Beagles? Veggie crunch, chicken-turkey smash, green beans, mashed potatoes, squash and cranberry relish.

Everything on Scooby’s platter is extra healthy and Scooby Safe and does not contain any added fat, dairy, oil, sugar or other sweeteners. He also enjoyed a Scooby Sip of Vintage Veuve-Cliquot Champagne.

While this holiday meal is Scooby Safe, please DO NOT feed this to your pets unless you know it is safe for them too.

After dinner we’ll sit in front of the fireplace where one of us will enjoy Vintage Port and pumpkin pie while the other gets belly rubs and ear tickles.

And we’ll crack up sharing stories about Thanksgivings past. Because nobody tells a story like Scooby does.

Considering that Scooby has enjoyed 147 Thanksgivings, he’s definitely got some serious tales to tell. His Thanksgiving with Franklin Roosevelt always gets me laughing. Those two together were quite the troublemakers.

And that one year he feasted with Elvis and Andy Warhol. Three party animals and only one turkey to carve. Let’s just say I’ve never heard Turkey Breast described quite the way he described it. And what happened after dinner, well, I can’t even post it here due to the graphic nature of the evening. But WOW!

Oh that Scooby. He’s truly the best!

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Grateful and Thankful Everyday. thepongofund.org

Thanksgiving 2015. Please remember that others are less fortunate. Not just today. But everyday. The daily battles are many. But the truth is we all face those same battles. All of us live one day at a time. No matter where we are. No matter where we call home.

Look around you and count your blessings. For you have more than most to be thankful for. And if you have an animal friend that loves you, in this world or over the Rainbow Bridge, please rejoice and be grateful. Because you are one of the luckiest ones.

The world is not perfect. Neither are we. Let us Not Judge. Let us Not Harm.

But Do Let us Bring Hope. Do Let us Be Kind.

And most of all, Let Us Always Bring Love.

Wishing you a Joyful, Meaningful, Peaceful, Gentle, Happy and Thankful Thanksgiving. From all of us at The Pongo Fund.

“It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Always Giving Thanks. thepongofund.org

#thanksgiving #thankful #rescue #helpinganimals #pongo #love

She got shot in the head but continued toward the shooter even after being shot. To give him kisses. Because this pitbull was a lover, not a fighter. She did not know bullets. Only love.

When a dog gets shot in the head and the call comes to The Pongo Fund, everything stops. Because the shock of the call demands full attention.

The bullet entered one place, exited another. Just two holes. But all that damage. Fractured jaw. Cheek. So many teeth destroyed. Yet even after being shot this sweet Pibble continued toward the shooter to lick him with kisses because that’s what she knew.

Just kisses. That was her weapon.

There’s no way around it. This story hurts. The tears are real. And it just happened a few days ago right here in Portland. (Donation link to help Bella is at bottom of this post)

But please do not begin to speculate. Because the details of what happened will punch you in the gut and leave you shocked and they will hurt so please let me not share them now. And please don’t post any nasty comments about what you think might have happened because you do not know.

Let’s instead focus on the good. This dog lived.

And that’s what it’s like to be part of The Pongo Fund.

But it’s like this too.

A woman on the side of the road sobbing. When asked what she needs, she says “Pongo, I need Pongo.” A social worker called to tell us this. Can we help?

A newly homeless man still finding humor in his situation, until he talks about his dog being hungry and then he cries. Can we help?

A woman who described herself as old enough to know better, who finally decided enough was enough and grabbed her cats and fled to never be hit again. Can we help?

And then the hardest one of all. The sweet pit bull shot in the head and neck. Thousands of dollars of medical care later to save her, her fight continues. But she is better, so much better.

This love muffin learning to eat again needs more wet food. Because that’s all she can eat after the bullet that entered her head and exited her neck and fractured her jaw along the way caused the loss of so many teeth that it makes eating hard food impossible for now.

But her family subsides on food stamps and there is no more money left for food for their hero dog. Can we help?

And right there in those few moments is a small taste of what it means to spend a few days in the life of The Pongo Fund. The day before Thanksgiving. Talk about feeling grateful.

To be able to help. Yes, we are so very grateful.

“Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.” ― Rumi

The call came from a social worker a thousand miles from Portland. She told of the woman sobbing on the side of the road, her dog next to her. She saw them and stopped. All she heard was Pongo but had no idea what it meant. This sobbing woman had received our help years earlier. Now in a new city and state, but needing us again. The social worker searched online. She called. What is Pongo, she asked? She cried when we told her. We got food on the way quickly.

The newly homeless veteran slept on the sidewalk but still joked about how things could be worse. He had little but said he was ok. I had many things he needed but I first needed him to say yes to them. He would not. So I switched gears and asked about his dog. He looked down and stared at her. I couldn’t get him to look at me again. The jokes. The laughter. It all stopped. He said she was too old and too sweet and she deserved better. He started to hand me her leash and walk away and at that moment I could see inside of this brave man and his insides were crying. Neither one of them asked for the help they needed. But we made sure they both got that help.

The woman who said the bruises no longer healed so she teased herself that they were beautymarks but of course she knew they were not. She said that was all her eyes saw anymore when she looked in the mirror. She had become her bruises. But she knew she was more than that so in a flurry she left. Living in her car, she felt safe. She found a shelter, they told her about Pongo. Her cats were hungry. We helped them all.

And then we just got the call that stopped us cold. About the sweet pit bull named Bella. Shot in the head and neck, a situation far too tragic to share with you here. Scooped up into the arms that rushed her to emergency care. A series of skull radiographs. Surgery. Recovery. A 34 line bill and many thousands owed in lifesaving veterinary care.

But here’s the first mind blowing moment. The people that adopted Bella and took responsibility for her care did so after she was shot. Doing what they could for a dog they loved but who was not even theirs.

Yet these kind people were already struggling themselves, feeding their family on food stamps. Now stepping up to take out a high-interest credit card loan just to pay the thousands in bills to save a dog’s life.

Here’s the second mind blowing moment. Bella is a licker. She licks and she loves. And even after being shot she continued to go toward the shooter to lick him with her Bella kisses. She had no idea that she had been injured. She only knew that she wanted to love despite the bullet shot into her skull.

It would have been over for Bella were it not for the family that had no money but still paid her bill. They applied for and received a high-interest credit card loan with a huge APR just lurking for them to miss one of the payments that they already can’t afford.

Along with the ongoing care they provide for Bella, they now also have the stress of a big bill and monthly payments for the dog whose life they saved.

And here’s the third mind blowing moment. When they called The Pongo Fund, what do you think they asked for?

Money to pay the bill?

No. Not money.

All they asked for were a few cans of wet food because that is all Bella can currently eat. Think about that. Thousands of dollars in debt to save the life of a sweet girl shot in the head and all they ask for is dog food. For real.

In my world, these people are Heroes.

We met them today and got them cases of great Evanger’s wet food. And a big bag of Canidae dog food for when Bella can use her teeth again. A new cushy Bella bed too.

But that’s not all. Because we have quite a surprise coming for them. And it’s more than just great food.

Because that $3000.00 they owe for the bill they stepped up to pay? The Pongo Fund is going to raise the money to pay that bill. And that way they’ll have a bit more to spend on their young kids for the holidays.

And they have no idea.

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” – John Wesley

Do you want to help?

Please join us as we continue the miracle. Because if you love your dog, your dog who is safe and happy and well, then I beg of you to please love this dog too. Because Bella is all of us.

Click our DONATE NOW link here https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/ and donate to help save the people who saved the Bella dog that got shot.

$3,000.00 is all we need to pay this bill. Please write FOR BELLA in the comments section. Your kind words will help heal this whole family.

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. We are all busy counting our blessings. And thanks to these heroes, her new family, Bella counts her blessings too. They have my help. Will you please help too?

There you have it. A small taste of what it’s like to spend a few days in the life of The Pongo Fund. A sometimes exhausting dance of joy and sadness. And MIRACLES. Always miracles.

It is what we do and why we do it from the group filled with giant hearted volunteers that always try to do more.

It’s about miracles and blessings. And a brave girl named Bella and the family who loves her.

And This Is Why We Pongo.

And one more thing. THANK YOU to the Veterinary Angels that worked so hard to save this sweet girl. You have our eternal gratitude.

The donation link for Bella is here https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/ .

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. For Bella. thepongofund.org

(The left of the photo is Bella’s sweet pink nose, the things sticking out of her skull are drainage ports to keep the swelling down)

#pitbull #pibble #gunshot #rescue #hero #pongo #bella #love

She ate cat food. Saying it so casually I almost missed it. I thought she was joking. She wasn’t. So many resources available yet so many challenges still stood in the way. And that’s why today things are different. Because she told us she ate cat food.

She commented on the quality of The Pongo Fund’s wet cat food. I asked if her cats told her how good it was. She said no, she knew first hand because she ate it too. And that’s when I waited for the punchline.

There wasn’t one. And that’s when it got real.

That’s how brutal things had become for this proudly independent grandmother who faced challenges that should not be wished upon anyone. And she was still hungry every month after the money ran out.

She explained some mental and emotional crises. Fully cognizant to recognize that some of those challenges were in her own mind. But some were not. And when it came to running out of food and being hungry, it was very real.

She pointed to her head and said “It’s not here,” then pointed to her stomach and said “It’s here.”

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” ~ Mother Teresa

The Pongo Fund was built because Hungry People Have Hungry Pets. We knew that by helping one we would in fact be helping both. And time and again the people we help have told us how much our high-quality pet food means.

It not only keeps their pets fed but it means more food for themselves as well. Because before The Pongo Fund, people were giving up their own food to keep their pets fed. When the food box filled with people food suddenly became pet food.

The cans of tuna became cat food; soup, mac and cheese and more became dog food. People went hungry because feeding their pets was more important than feeding themselves. Because pets are family too.

This time it was the same, but different. Instead of people food being shared with pets it was pet food being shared with people. But it was still food for one becoming food for two.

It wasn’t every day, just when absolutely necessary. But still, this delightful woman who I just wanted to wrap in a hug was eating cat food because she was hungry. And once I knew about it, The Pongo Fund needed to help.

My first response was to reason with her but that would not work because she was already being reasonable. She was hungry. She had found a way to eat cat food when it was the only thing left to eat. It made sense.

For the next year plus more I made sure to include her shopping with my own shopping. Adding several items each couple of weeks that I knew she needed and leaving them tucked into a corner of her front porch. I told her she was helping me research a special project and it was really great of her to let me bring her this food. She said she was happy to help.

The truth was, she really was helping me. By letting me help.

November, right now, marks The Pongo Fund’s 6th Anniversary. It was just six years ago this month, November 2009, that we opened our doors for the first time. And along the way we have become a national model for new ways to save lives and reduce shelter populations.

And since that day six years ago we’ve provided more than 9,000,000 (NINE MILLION!) super high-quality meals for more than 80,000 hungry animals.

Animals that got to stay safe at home with their families and out of the shelters. Six years of the most dedicated team of volunteers doing the work that no one else does.

And we’re not changing that. Doing our work and doing it well is the most important thing. But can we find other ways to help?

Yes, we can.

And that’s why when we open on Sunday we will not only be stocked with pet food, but we’ll also have a special table stocked with one thousand cans of high-quality people food too.

The end of the month and just days before Thanksgiving, when needed the most.

It will be Pongo For The People, Too.

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” ~Audrey Hepburn

It’s a very small selection, just five different items. But these items are the gold standard in any food pantry because they are high-protein and always in limited supply. We will provide hearty clam chowder and chicken noodle soup, organic and low-sodium mac and cheese, organic firm tofu and lots of cans of line-caught albacore tuna. We’ll likely have even more next time.

And we will share these items with a smile, knowing these are the items that meals can be built around. Or for our friends living outdoors, just eat straight from the package.

Protein heavy. Nutritious and filling. Easy to carry. These are the iron workers of hunger fighting and The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank will have them.

And for some added fun our very own Pongo Food Savant and Lobby Manager Christian will be staffing that special table, quick to share recipe ideas with one and all. She’ll be the one with the biggest smile on her face because she’s been waiting for this day.

Close by will be Pongo Karen, our Resident Baker. Yes, The Pongo Fund has a resident baker.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ~ Charles Dickens

For our donors please know that these food items are paid for by special donations, not general donations. And none of this could happen were it not for those of you that have taken the time to ask us to use your donations in the most creative ways possible.

Because you know that if anything happens to the people, their pets won’t have a chance. You know that you are part of this plan, that it is your donation that pays it forward.

The woman who ate her cat’s food is ok. We kept her hopeful and healthy by delivering nutritious food to her front porch for more than a year. Hope, Hearts and Hunger all connected together from brown paper bags left outside her door.

She still lives in that same small home with the front porch. And every now and then I’ll stop by and leave another bag of goodies for her and her kitties, careful to tuck them in that same corner. Just for fun. And just like before, I do it because it helps me.

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” ~ John Wesley

In honor of our 6th Anniversary from today and all through Thanksgiving Week, all donations to The Pongo Fund will be doubled. Every Single Dollar. To donate, please click the secure donation link here: https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/ 

Please remember that The Pongo Fund is a volunteer driven organization and we do not spend money on marketing and fundraising. We focus our dollars on doing the work that no one else does. Every day pushing forward with whatever we have to do the most good.

But without you it just would not happen. So when you give, please know you are truly making a huge difference. Your kind words are also deeply appreciated, so please always share those with us too.

That donation link again is: https://www.thepongofund.org/contact/donation-page/

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Pongo For The People. thepongofund.org

‪#‎thanksgiving ‪#‎hunger ‪#‎seniors ‪#‎catfood ‪#‎charity ‪#‎giveguide