June 26th was a beautiful Portland day…one of the nicest we’ve had so far this year. It was also the day that Sellwood Dog Supply hosted their first ever Community Fair, a day filled with everything pet.

And they were kind enough to invite The Pongo Fund, Oregon’s only dedicated pet food charitable resource, to set up a booth so that more folks could learn about the life-saving work that we do. That is, protecting family pets from starving, or being abandoned or surrendered, when their families are currently unable to afford the pet food they need.

The street was closed and instead of traffic it was filled with vendors and raffles and treats for both dogs and people. And lots and lots of happy and wiggly dogs. There were big dogs and little dogs; both three-legged and four. There was even Mr. Peabody…who propels himself around just fine on two front legs with a cool cart supporting his rear legs.

So all in all it was a sunny and happy day. But the best part is that Sellwood Dog Supply, one of the greatest pet supply stores anywhere, decided to donate 10% of their entire day’s sales to The Pongo Fund. And even better, some other local vendors decided to chip in as well. Like Lili Patisserie, donating all of the money they raised from selling their super delicious homemade cookies and fresh strawberry lemonade.

Before we knew it the day was over, and we were sad to see it come to a close. There’s something about spending a sunny afternoon under the shade of nearby trees, drinking strawberry lemonade and surrounded by lots and lots of wagging tails. But it was a very good day; a great day actually and we made lots of new friends

And we all just about fell over when we learned how supportive the community had been. Along with tee shirt sales and other donations, Sellwood Dog Supply and their generous customers donated nearly $1,500 of high quality dog & cat food (most of it Canidae & Felidae, two of Pongo’s preferred brands) and cash to The Pongo Fund; helping us continue our vital work of keeping well-loved family pets from starving.

Thank you to Kathleen, Charlie, Mary, Tim, Damien, Little Bear, Eli and everyone at Sellwood Dog Supply, from all of us at The Pongo Fund. Tails wag because of you!

Larry Chusid, Director

Sellwood Dog Supply, 8334 SE 17th, Portland OR 97202 www.sellwooddogsupply.com

The Pongo Fund is generously supported by Canidae All Natural Pet Foods www.canidae.com and Dogswell Pet Food Company www.dogswell.com

The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank, an all-volunteer non-profit public charity, provides quality Canidae, Felidae and Dogswell pet food for financially struggling families unable to afford pet food. Our goal: to keep their family pets from starving.

We are conveniently open to any family in honest need twice per month, and also donate pet food to numerous family focused charitable organizations to share with their own clients throughout Oregon & SW Washington. Still, sometimes it is not enough. Such is the case when families don’t find out about us in time, and both their cupboards and wallets run bare.

That very thing happened today.

Jerry called and said he had no food for his cats. Although his voice mail message was spoken calmly, he made it clear that he was facing desperate times. He has five cats, and has also taken on the responsibility to feed three cats belonging to a neighbor that also cannot afford food. Unforeseen expenses ate up the pet food dollars he had budgeted from his limited disability check, leaving him with no food for himself or his cats. And no money to buy any.

I called him back immediately, and learned he had cat food to last only through today. He had gone to his local food pantry for human food assistance, but was distressed to find they had no cat food to provide. After all, his cats are his family.

He knew they couldn’t all survive another week sharing one meager food box. He called several groups seeking aid, but no one would help. Luckily he was referred to us. With no where else to turn, he didn’t know what to do. Fortunately The Pongo Fund knows what to do, and that’s why we provide some 50,000 meals per month helping to keep family pets alive when no one else will.

Jerry is disabled and has difficulty going too far from home. So I made an emergency plea to Julie at Green Dog Pet Supply in Portland, asking for assistance. They’re a top notch pet supply store close to where Jerry lives and, if Jerry could get to them, would they help? Without a moment of hesitation, Julie said absolutely. While we were on the phone she immediately organized enough high quality cat food to get Jerry’s cat family through this crisis, and told me to call him back and invite him on over.

I made that second call to Jerry just a few minutes after my initial call to him. When I told him the good news he could hardly believe it and didn’t know what to say. He said he was embarrassed, and didn’t know how to thank me. I told him the fact that he called was thanks enough, but the real thanks should go to Green Dog Pet Supply. Because today is the day that Green Dog Pet Supply saved Jerry’s family from starving.

Thank you Green Dog Pet Supply!

Larry Chusid, Director, The Pongo Fund

(Green Dog Pet Supply www.greendogpetsupply.com )

 

The Pongo Fund is a small but mighty non-profit organization with a mission to keep family pets from starving when their families cannot afford pet food. Every month we provide some 50,000 quality meals for hungry dogs and cats throughout Oregon & SW Washington.

We’ve got a nice group of friends. We’ve got 1000’s of canine and feline friends, friends that are alive today because we keep them fed with quality foods from Canidae, Felidae & Dogswell. And we count as friends many special people and businesses that support our mission of providing quality dog and cat food for the family pets of anyone in honest need. And during these tough times, a lot of people are in honest need.

But on Saturday, June 26th from 11-4, one of our friends is doing something extra special for us. That’s the day that our wonderful friends at Sellwood Dog Supply will host their Community Fair, a day for everything pet. An event so big that they’re closing the street and filling it with vendors and raffles and samples and all sorts of fun.  Even better, they will offer a 15% discount off any products of any vendor present that day (excluding food).

But the best part…they’re donating 10% of their entire day’s sales to The Pongo Fund. And even better, one of our other friends has offered to match that amount, meaning that every dollar donated to us by Sellwood Dog Supply will be doubled. So let’s just say we’re doubly excited.

If you’re running low on pet food or are in need of anything dog or cat, please head on over to Sellwood Dog Supply on June 26th between 11-4. We promise you’ll find everything that you’re looking for, even things you didn’t know you were looking for. And for goodness sake bring your pets and let them pick out their favorite treats.

Your purchase on June 26th will not only bring joy to your own Ginger or Pickle or Callie or Duke or Paddy or Simon or Felix or Tavish, but it will also save the lives of 1000’s of pets that have no food for their dinner.

As Albert Pine said: “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

Seize your chance for Immortality!

Sellwood Dog Supply; 8334 SE 17th Ave. Portland, OR 97202. 503-239-1517

Those of you that spend your time volunteering with us at The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank know how hard we work to do everything that we possibly can to assist families and family pets facing hardship and crisis. Canidae All Natural Pet Foods & Dogswell are two of the vital engines that drive us forward, generously supplying us with the great food that helps save lives all across Oregon and SW Washington.

As the Executive Director of this 100% all volunteer public charity, I get to experience some wonderful things. It is an awesome privilege. And that privilege came again today in the names of Michelle, Kerry, Merlin and Doing.

April was another huge month for us with a record 313 families entering our home, seeking both solace and the lifesaving food that would keep their families together. That equates to some 32,000 quality meals donated for more than 1,200 family pets that had no food for their dinner; all in just a total of six hours time. And every single one of those families was treated with dignity, kindness, love and respect. But that’s not all that we do.

We also manage a detailed distribution network, donating a consistent measure of premium pet food to some two-dozen well respected community organizations assisting families in crisis, including St. Francis Dining Hall, NE Emergency Food Pantry, Potluck in the Park, Union Gospel Mission, FISH Emergency Services, King’s Cupboard, First Presbyterian of Oregon City, Salvation Army Moore Street, St. Marks Lutheran, St. Andrews Episcopal, Crossroads Coventry, University Park Adventist and many more. And when all combined we’re providing some 50,000 meals per month, reaching into every part of the community that we can. 

And let’s not forget the single largest donation we’ve made to date; the seven tons of premium pet food that little tiny The Pongo Fund sent to the huge Oregon Food Bank for redistribution statewide, further helping in the fight to eliminate hunger. Yes, seven tons!

Still, some may wonder why we do this. The answer? We do this because families without much food are giving up the little that they have to keep their pets from starving. And that’s where we come in…we feed the family by feeding their pets.

Very quietly, in our customary and respectful way…we’ve now provided 500,000 quality meals for starving dog and cat friends. Saving these animals from being abandoned or surrendered simply because their families cannot afford to feed them. And keeping their families together in the process.

But even with all that, some folks still might not really understand why we put forth such effort. So here’s a reminder:

I received this urgent email from Michelle earlier today. We’re in Oregon, and she’s in Florida:

Hi
I live in South Florida but my sister is in the Portland area. She lives in Milwaukee. Last night, she told me she is completely out of cat food. She is out of food for herself too but she is more concerned about her two cats. I have a friend who is the Humane Educator at the Oregon Humane Society in Portland and I reached out to her. She said that they cannot help as they are too far away and she would need to find a way to get there. But she recommended we look into your program.

I am writing to ask if there is any way you can assist her. She is homebound and fighting off a bad illness right now so there is no way she can get to you. And even if I sent her money she can’t get out to get the food. Perhaps I can give you a donation instead. Please let me know. I have not told her about you because I don’t want to get her hopes up. “It’s not about loving animals; it’s about respect.”

I responded immediately, telling her we would help, and received back the following email:

That is so awesome. I sent her your e mail and hopefully she will get in touch. I do not think she has a phone. Her name is Kerry and she lives in Milwaukee, OR. She is homebound so she is there all the time. I hope you can help her. Yes she is on food stamps but she is relatively new there and I doubt she knows about all the social services. Thank you so much.

I quickly connected with Kerry and found she had only one small cup of food left for two hungry cats. After that, her beloved kitties Merlin & Doing would have no food at all. I asked her what would happen then, and she said her cats would eat noodles cooked in chicken broth. I suspect that might have been her own dinner that she would instead give to her kitties. And we just couldn’t let that happen.

Unfortunately, The Pongo Fund does not yet have a volunteer emergency response team in place to handle a situation like this; someone that could drop what they’re doing and immediately get food where it’s needed on a moment’s notice. We’ll work on that tomorrow.  But for right now my only concern was getting food for this family. And in short order, thanks to a well crafted plan that came together perfectly, we had food in hand and were on the way to save this family. And beginning next week we have a volunteer that will make regular deliveries. How cool is that?

Kerry sent me an email after the food arrived. 

After you read her email, please let others read it too. And please forward it to friends and friends of friends. I’m proud of what we did today, and want eveyone to remember how easy it is to make a difference for another, both two legged and four.

This is her email:

It’s here !!!!! What a great thing you did for Doing and Merlin… My sister will let the animal community nation wide know what a great service you have… The donations will come pouring in for you.. You have touched my heart and put a tear of gratitude down my cheeks…I have dedicated my life to working with and respecting and loving animals. This was a hard thing for me to do.. Asking for help is not easy.. You my dear one have made my day and my heart sing.

I hope that everyone got to share in some of the love and joy that I felt today; it was a very good day.

Larry Chusid, Executive Director, The Pongo Fund

The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank provides premium quality dog and cat food for the family pets of anyone in honest need. We do this with courtesy and compassion, and with the hope that we will bring solace to a family in crisis. Because pets are family too, and no family member deserves to starve.

For us, every day is a rewarding day. But this past Sunday was an especially rewarding day, as we donated nearly 15,000 meals of premium quality Canidae, Felidae & Dogswell pet food for more than 500 family pets belonging to 140 families. Family pets that, without us, might be surrendered or abandoned simply because their families cannot afford to feed them.

But what made this Sunday especially rewarding was what one of our guests told me.

She took me by the hand and with teary eyes told me that The Pongo Fund saved her life. She said that her cats were her only family and that, if anything happened to them, she would not want to go on without them.

She’d been out of work for months, and spent her food stamps on human food for her cats. This left her hungry, but she was okay with that. At least, that’s what she said. But I knew it wasn’t true. I knew the truth was that she was hungry and scared, and that she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t need to tell me that; it was etched on her face. 

And that’s how we saved a life last Sunday. Because the premium quality Felidae cat food that we provided to her, for her cats, would be the conduit that would ultimately keep them all alive. Because now her cats could eat, and she could eat, and no one would go to bed hungry.

Thank you to Canidae, Felidae & Dogswell, along with each of our great Team Pongo volunteers, because they are the ones that make this all possible.

Allison M., Allison S., Christina, Darla, Elliot, Emilio, J., Jim, Jody, Julie, Karen, Katie, Kathy, Kelly, Kim, Laura, Laurie G., Laurie R., Leeann, Leslie, Linda, Marc, Mark, Michelle R., Michelle S., Mike B., Mike S., Nancy, Peggy, Sara, Sarah, Shannon, Tad and Tanya…thank you for putting forth the kind of courtesy, compassion and professionalism that would make Nordstrom proud.

It is because of your open hearts and willingness to embrace those that need us that we were able to save a life on this day.

Larry Chusid, Director, The Pongo Fund

Tails were wagging this week as The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank donated 7 tons of premium quality Dogswell dog food to the Oregon Food Bank, providing families statewide with the food that will keep their family pets from starving. Because sometimes, a simple bowl of kibble can be the force that both keeps a family together and saves the lives of the animals they love. http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2010/04/the_pongo_fund_portlands_pet_f.html

The kind of day when the first people were in line by 9:30am, a full 2.5 hours before The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank would open. And I was curious as to why someone would knowingly wait such a long time for pet food?

Carolyn was toward the front of the line, so I asked her why she came so early; did she know that we didn’t open until noon? She said she did, but she arrived so early because it brought her joy. I didn’t understand; what part of waiting for 2.5 hours brought her joy? And she said all of it. I could see it in her eyes, but I still didn’t understand.

She said she spent the time thinking about her friends, and how much she looked forward to seeing them and their honest smiles. But still, why would she wait here for such a long time, only to be thinking about friends she could be with at that very moment?

But I had misunderstood.

Because when she spoke of her friends, I thought she meant people she’d known for years. People that were a regular part of her life. But the friends she spoke of, the friends she was thinking about, the friends that she looked forward to seeing…they were our Team Pongo Volunteers that run the pet food bank. People she knew only by the names on their nametags and their honest smiles. These were the friends that she was willing to wait 2.5 hours to see.

She said she felt impolite, leaving so quickly after getting her dog food. But she was always careful to say thank you, and let everyone know how much we meant to her. She said that these Sundays left her with a smile frozen into her face; we made her that happy. And when she got home, she and Harvey would have lunch.

I was curious and asked what they’d have for lunch? She looked at me and laughed, one of those laughs that you might only get to hear a few times in a lifetime. It was a real laugh, and it was loud. She said honey, Harvey’s lunch would be the food we’d just given her.

They had a ritual. She took the bags home and put them next to Harvey, and watched as his tail drummed thumpthumpthump, right on the bags. And then she’d carefully open one up, right at the corner, just enough to let a few kibble fall out. Then Harvey would carefully pick each one up and crunchcrunchcrunch until he’d gotten them all. I asked what she would eat, and she laughed that laugh again. She said that watching Harvey enjoy the food we’d provided her was all the nourishment she needed. And then they both took a nap.

So what kind of day was Sunday, February 28th, 2010?

It was the kind of day when we set another attendance record, as our guests patiently waited in a line that reached all the way to the corner and part way around the block. The kind of day when we provided nearly 16,000 Canidae, Felidae and Dogswell meals for the hungry pets of some 160 families. In just three hours.

It was the kind of day when Kathie Nelson, Executive Director of Oregon Spay/Neuter Fund, spent three hours in our lobby and walked away both thrilled and exhausted after 43 of our guests made the decision that very day to have their pets spayed and/or neutered.

It was the kind of day when Emilio DeBess, State of Oregon Public Health Veterinarian, spent his afternoon in our lobby speaking at length with every one of our guests that needed guidance, advice and compassion with health issues faced by their family pets.

And it was the kind of day when we nourished Carolyn’s soul by giving her dog food to feed her best friend Harvey.

It was a very good kind of day.

Thank you to our Team Pongo Volunteers Andrea, Becky, Bryan, Chelsea, Christina, Crystal, Dalene, Darla, Debbie, Doug, Emilio, Jim, Julie, Karen, Kathie, Katie, Kelly, Kim, Kristen, Larry, Laurie, Leslie, Lesley, Linda, Lori, the three Marks, Michelle, Mike, Nancy, Peggy, Sarah, Shannon, Stephanie, Tad & Tanya, for giving of themselves on this good day to make the community a better place. Without their kindness, respect and honest smiles, none of this would be possible.

Larry

Larry Chusid

Director, The Pongo Fund

Sometimes things work so beautifully that all I can do is smile and say thank you. And that’s exactly what happened today at The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank, when we got an emergency call from Kaylee.

She had no cat food and no money; payday was still two weeks away. And she was desperately worried about her young kittens Fireball and Creampuff. I explained that we’d be open next on the 14th, but she could not wait even a day more. I’d been at the pet food bank all morning dealing with emergency situations, and offered to drive back and meet her. But she had no way to get to us, so we needed some magic. And that’s exactly what we got.

I asked where she was located and the name of the nearest high quality pet food store. She told me about Creature Comforts in Oak Grove, Oregon, and I called immediately.      I spoke to John, and he said to have Kaylee come right over and he’d provide her with a supply of Felidae All Natural Cat Food. I called Kaylee right back, and within minutes she was on the bus to Creature Comforts.

Thirty minutes later she was on the phone, telling me how perfectly things had worked out. She could barely contain her emotions as she talked about having food for her little ones.

Two hungry kittens, an emergency call from Kaylee, a second call to John at Creature Comforts, a supply of Felidae, and thirty minutes later all is good. It had to be magic!

 

All of us that were there will remember Sunday, January 24, 2010.

Because this was the day that our guests were lined up all the way around the corner as The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank opened our doors to supply food for every single hungry pet that we possibly could; while nourishing their human families at the same time. And that meant in just three short hours we were honored to provide more than 13,000 quality meals for the 465 dog and cat family members of 135 families.

What began as an effort little more than two years ago to feed two hungry dogs underneath the Morrison Bridge has blossomed into Oregon’s largest single charitable effort dedicated to providing quality dog and cat food for the family pets of anyone in honest need; nearly 250,000 meals to date. Simply put, there were 465 dogs and cats that had excellent food for their Sunday night dinner thanks to our incredibly generous donors at Canidae All Natural Pet Foods and Dogswell.

But it’s really so much more than that. Because those 435 family pets belong to 135 families; families that often go to bed hungry because they feed their own dinner to their pets. But on this Sunday night they went to bed with the comfort of knowing that their family pets had also received a good dinner. And that there was still plenty of food left for breakfast, and for weeks after.

Our dedicated Team Pongo volunteers worked harder on this date than anyone would ever expect from a Sunday volunteer opportunity. And they share in the credit for this great day right along with each of the 135 families that stood in the rain because they love their pets like family. To Nancy, Kathy, David, Janet, Bryan, Kim, Jim, Tanya, Tad, Shannon, Michael, Crystal, Jody, Laura, Laurie, Stephanie, Christina, Nike, Becky, Greg, John, Michelle, Karen, Katie, Kelly, Lanna and Lesley…thank you for giving of your day and opening your hearts to treat each and every one of our guests with kindness and respect.

Because of you, it was an excellent day.

The following email was received from one of our Team Pongo volunteers; I think it sums things up well:

Dear Larry,

I just wanted to tell you my thoughts for the day. I have never before shared so many conversations with our recipients, and felt that today was the best day ever. One person shared how their pets had finally stopped panicking at feeding time; that their food hoarding and vomiting due to frenzy eating had stopped because they knew that tomorrow would bring more food. Another man without food cried and told me stories about how his two 14 year old cats depended on him and made him get out of bed every day and move forward even under tremendous challenges, and how fortunate he felt to receive food to feed them. Two people came in after having the hell kicked out of them by their abusers just the night before, just so that their animals were fed today. One lovely older woman teared up and confessed that she never thought that she would be in the situation that she is in today. Her son cried and thanked me for our assistance with pure blessings from his heart. They never saw their situation coming; going from affluence to assistance. But when they come here they’re treated with dignity. If I could tell you every story that I heard today I think you would understand that The Pongo Fund is on the right path and that we are fulfilling a special and much needed mission of our times. Thank you for letting us be a part of it.

SF

Thank you to everyone for caring about the hungry animals, and their people families too…Larry, Friend of Pongo

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”  Mohandas Gandhi