Working in the winter cold, Dr. Robin and Dr. Melissa and The Pongo Fund hit the street a few days ago with our Mobile Veterinary Team, going straight to where the need was greatest. We crawled on hands and knees to provide full veterinary care for some of the sweetest animals you’ve ever met. There were 14 year-old greyhounds and 15 year-old pit bulls and 16 year-old Chihuahuas. We made so many great friends, like Tigger and Tux. The average age was old, these were seniors; many of the people were too. Yet there they were; each one of them thankful.

Almost all have been together with their people since the day they were born. But vet care is beyond their reach, both financially and geographically. So we went to them, bringing along a mobile medical hospital outfitted with an exam room, surgical suite, lab equipment and even xrays. And we provided it all for FREE, including medications. What Dr. Robin and Dr. Melissa did yesterday is the stuff of legend. I am proud to be part of this great organization and honored to help the pets and the people who love them.

Thank you, to each and every one of you, for giving us this opportunity. Because everything that we do, we do together.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

***The Pongo Fund is Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. Because hungry people have hungry pets. Our award winning and volunteer driven group helps more animals than any other group in Oregon by providing high quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy and out of the shelters. 90,000 animals helped; 9,000,000 healthy meals provided. We would be honored if you SHARE this post so that others will also know of our good work***

TRIPLE YOUR DONATION TODAY with The Pongo Fund for ‪#‎GivingTuesday, via our secure link here: https://giveguide.org/#thepongofund%20. Thanks to some generous donors, every dollar becomes three dollars. $20 becomes $60, $50 becomes $150, $500 become $1500 and so on. And for a little group like Pongo with only one paid employee and loads of great volunteers who help tens of thousands, that’s a HUGE DEAL!

Plus just for donating you could be the lucky winner of a new Trek FX1 bike courtesy of Bike Gallery. Please note, to win the bike you must donate via the Give Guide link and your donation must occur on 11/29/16. That donation link again: https://giveguide.org/#thepongofund%20.

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 sometime in the next few days, that works too. Just tell us it’s for Giving Tuesday. Mailing address is The Pongo Fund, PO Box 9000, Portland OR 97207. So please jump in and join us with a donation for Giving Tuesday. Your kind words and love are of course always welcomed too, because we are nothing without you.

Her sentences arrived like poetry. It wasn’t intentional. It was just the way she spoke. A woman with many years who remembered a time before texting and tweeting. A time when words were investments. Spoken carefully. Irreplaceable. And she did it beautifully.

Describing the son she had lost years before that still leaves an open hole in her heart. That’s what she said. It was only when I asked a question that I learned the truth.

The son she missed had four legs, not two. And there was never another. Until now.

A friend had passed away. “They all seem to do that, you know?” she said. But this one left behind her son, her dog. And that dog had no one. And that’s why she said she needed to be there for him. But like many of her generation, the money did not meet the need. And the daily cost of caring for her new friend was often beyond her means. And that’s why she turned to The Pongo Fund for help.

But then she needed to move and her new home was not conveniently located for her to get to Pongo. So we went to her. But where she lived, she told us, there were many more just like her that struggled to keep their pets fed.

What about them?

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

So we started with one building housing dozens more like her, delivering to them food and hope regularly. The amounts change. The delivery days change. But what doesn’t change is that we are there for them when they need us most.

But there were more buildings just like this one throughout the city. Providing stable housing for those that would be homeless otherwise. Hundreds of people with hundreds of pets.

People that face a myriad of physical, financial, mental and emotional struggles daily. Senior citizens. Veterans. Victims of domestic violence. And so much more.

Their pets their only stability. Loved with all the love possible. And they needed help. So we worked to find the way to help these people with their pets that no one else helped.

Despite The Pongo Fund being a tiny tot of an organization we leaped. Because, as the saying goes, leap and the net will appear.

As the hard winter months near, The Pongo Fund continues the program to reach these wonderful people and pets that had gone unreached before. If they could not get to us we would get to them. We have not named the program yet, but we will.

Because doing it is more important than naming it.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia.

Delivering food and hope to the doorways of our most fragile families. Keeping so many beloved animals safe at home and out of the shelters. Keeping people and their pets together.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. Together We Pongo. thepongofund.org

#ThePongoFund #Rescue #Seniors #Helping

***The Pongo Fund is Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. Because hungry people have hungry pets. Our award winning and volunteer driven group helps more animals than any other group in Oregon by providing high quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy and out of the shelters. 90,000 animals helped; 9,000,000 healthy meals provided. We would be honored if you SHARE this post so that others will also know of our good work***

(This story is reposted due to special request)

He beat her so she wears boots now, they used to be heels. We met close to the shelter she was staying in. The shelter, like they have done many times before, referred this proud woman to The Pongo Fund for cat food for the last friend in her life she could count on. What that man did hurt her in more ways than she could put into words, including the loss of her job. Unable to feed her kitty friend crushed her; she said she felt worthless. And that’s why, hard as it was, she asked for the food. She missed the heels, but said matter-of-factly that you can’t run fast enough in heels. Fast enough? As in, fast enough to get away.

So she left it all behind, just her and her cat and a handful of other things and then into the car to drive away for the last time. It was her car, he could not take that. It was her cat, he could not take that. And it was her life, and there was no way he was going to get that. She had everything she needed; the heels were no longer necessary. The boots were best, she said, they were solid and warm and protected her; looking down at them to reconfirm her choice. And she said if she kicked someone, they would never forget it. Her cat, happily cocooned into a blanket in his carrier, sat next to her boots, looking at them too. He purred in agreement.

Despite everything they’d been through, more and more victims of domestic violence turn to The Pongo Fund for help. They carry bruises both inside and out, but it seems that their animals are the best medicine. And we are honored to help. Because by helping one, we know we’re helping both.

Today is Saturday November 26, 2016. This is the Giving Season and all donations via our Give Guide page are being doubled. We don’t have a development or fundraising team, there’s no big office filled with employees. It’s just us. And that’s why we need you. Because we’re all in this together. Tens of thousands count on us, we hope you will help. Please click the secure link here to give: https://giveguide.org/#thepongofund%20 .

A special thank you to the woman who put together some care packages for us to use in these very situations. You told us you knew what it was like to leave with nothing, and how you found yourself wishing for some of the most basic things; deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, a good hairbrush that did not lose all its bristles when you used it. There were more things too, and you put them into plastic bags and asked me to provide them when the time was right. You told me to trust your judgment, even if I did not understand the reason for everything included. Thank you for doing that. This woman received the last bag, and she was truly thankful.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

***The Pongo Fund is Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. Because hungry people have hungry pets. Our award winning and volunteer driven group helps more animals than any other group in Oregon by providing high quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy and out of the shelters. 90,000 animals helped; 9,000,000 healthy meals provided. We would be honored if you SHARE this post so that others will also know of our good work***

(Photo of boots is a stock image, out of respect we did not photograph the woman, her cat or her boots)

This photo was taken when Scooby was 20. The fry was coming and he was ready. Look at that face, not a grey hair or wrinkle to be found. He clearly understood the secret of life. He didn’t let things bother him; even when they did, they didn’t. He took life in stride and enjoyed every minute. I wish he would have finished the book he was writing, because I think that’s where all the answers are. And one more thing. Even though his teeth may not look great, they really were. They were brushed daily and were in fantastic condition. It’s just that his many years on the street left him with some teeth that didn’t look beautiful. But he was beautiful. Inside and out, he really was. And nine months later, I still miss him like it was yesterday. Thank you for joining me for another French Fry Friday, it means a lot to me to be able to share these special memories with you.

Thanksgiving 2016. Please let us be Grateful. And please let us 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 who loves you, in this world or over the Rainbow Bridge, please rejoice and be grateful. Because you are one of the luckiest ones.

Remember, the world is not perfect. Neither are we. Let us Not Judge. Let us Not Harm.

Photos with Santa for The Pongo Fund this past weekend at Salty’s Pet Supply and Fang & Feather were too much fun! There was Louie and Lunabelle, Tyke, Hank, Archie and Marcel. Turtle and Vera and Jet Lee the Ninja dog. We met Sweet Lucy Beagle, Ginger and Pepper, Paisley and Shasta, Squirrel, Skylar, Bruno and Fiona too. There were dogs and cats in hats, sweaters and scarves; even some with knitted reindeer antlers. There were 117 dog and cat friends smiling for the camera, even a friendly T-Rex named Henry. And too many kiddos to count who joined in the fun, telling Portland’s Sweetest Santa what they wished for Christmas. And there was even a super happy chicken named Hodor, what a smile! Thank you to everyone who joined us, all for a good cause.

As the saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And that goes for a broken heart too. But even sometimes a broken heart brings smiles. As it did a few days ago. A line of people quickly formed at our Pop-Up Pongo. That’s when we head out into the community stocked with food, pet gear and some extra special things for our community’s most fragile people. We don’t announce these moments. We just do them. The goal is to provide an extra boost to people and pets when they need it most. The numbers are not important. But helping is.

This recent Pop-Up Pongo brought about 30 people to the back of my car. Spirits were high despite the rainy and cloudy weather. But one man touched me more than the others. He stood off to the side. After a few minutes he moved farther away, now across the street. He sat down on his pack and appeared to be watching us. I didn’t know why. He spoke with no one. He just sat and watched. He talked to himself. He laughed a little. He cried a little. That scene repeated itself several times.

The work we do is not perfect. But neither is the world. But being there to offer help is the best we can do. Sometimes we don’t know what help is needed. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. A kind word. A smile. A bag of food. Whatever it is, we try. Because the single kind word offered to one silently searching for a kind word may be the one word that changes everything.

As I was getting ready to leave this man began to stir. He picked up his pack and walked toward me. I sensed that he wanted to say something but wanted to do it quickly and privately, away from the others. But what he had to say was not what I expected.

As he walked closer I smiled and said hello, as I had done dozens of times during the past hour. He inched closer, cheeks wet but not from rain. His eyes told me he was hurting. I don’t know how old he was, but old enough to have lived a good chunk of life.

He opened his pack and pulled out a bag of our Pongo cat food. He said in the most kindly way that he did not need it anymore. He asked if I would give it to someone else. Then he cried.

His cat had passed away a few weeks earlier. He was about 15 years old. He said he’d found him one day and they became best friends. He said his cat was not doing well and he sensed it was because he was living on scraps and whatever food people gave him. But that all changed when he found The Pongo Fund.

So for the last few years he fed him food only from The Pongo Fund that he received at several places around town that we supplied with food. His cat thrived. And seeing his cat thrive, he said he thrived too. As his voice trailed off, he said that without our food he didn’t know what they would have done.

He said his kitty was his best friend. And that even though he had seen men die in war, he was more broken-hearted over the loss of his best friend than any other time in his life. Here was this man, this solid United States Veteran standing tall, sobbing in front of me over the loss of his kitty cat friend that had died weeks earlier. And I didn’t know what to do, because there was more to this broken-heart then could be mended in that moment.

He told me stories about things they did. They had routines. They lived life as a team. And now that team had changed. As he spoke he continued to hold the small bag of Pongo cat food. Massaging it in his hands. But he did it ever so gently. And I could tell that bag of food was worth far more to him than just a bag of food. I asked him if it reminded him of his cat. He said yes. So I asked him why he wanted to give it back to me now. And that’s when I pretty much lost it.

Because, he said, he knew there were lots more hungry cats out there. And he knew that the bag he had left over could feed another cat. And he thought that was the right thing to do. But I knew giving me back that single bag of food would be like taking his cat away all over again. So I offered a compromise.

I moved some things around in my car and showed him some large bags of cat food. I explained that I take the large bags and transfer the food into smaller bags. And I told him that I needed to pack some more food. Would he help me do that? Would he help me do that in memory of his cat?

So there we stood. Two adult men talking about kitty cats, kibble and best friends. Laughing. Crying. Packing kibble the entire time. And before we knew it we had another few dozen bags.

I made sure he had a warm, dry place to sleep for the next couple of nights. Helped him with some other things too. Good food to eat. A book. Socks. Hat. Gloves. A new sleeping bag. And one more thing too. I gave him a bell. A little tiny bell that a cat would wear on its collar.

I’m not sure why, but it was in my car. Maybe it was there waiting for this very moment. And I asked him if he would like to carry that little bell with him in his pocket to maybe remind him of his kitty? He laughed and stepped back and smiled and said no, that seemed silly. He did not need the bell, shaking his head side-to-side for emphasis.

We shook hands. We thanked each other for being there. We said a prayer for his cat. He put his pack on and took the first step to leave. Then he turned around and asked me for the bell. He stared at it for a second. But he really stared at it deeply. I could tell at that moment that he saw more than just a bell.

And he held it tight in his hand as he walked away.

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. All donations to The Pongo Fund are being doubled, and we need your support now because we can’t do this work without you. So please, can you help us? Click here to give: https://giveguide.org/#thepongofund%20 .

Being there for them when they need us most. Even when their pets are no longer here with them.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

***The Pongo Fund is Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. Because hungry people have hungry pets. Our award winning and volunteer driven group helps more animals than any other group in Oregon by providing high quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy and out of the shelters. 90,000 animals helped; 9,000,000 healthy meals provided. We would be honored if you SHARE this post so that others will also know of our good work***

(This story has been reposted due to special request. Cat in photo is not cat in story)

If you were there you’ll agree and if you weren’t then you’ll wish you were. Because it was that good. And today, Sunday, is your last day, so if you’re in the Portland area, head to Fang & Feather for some of the best photos with Santa ever. 57 dogs and two cats did just that yesterday; there were blind dogs and deaf dogs, seniors and puppies; dogs in sweaters and scarves and reindeer antlers too. Even a baby and a princess in a beautiful purple gown.

The secret is the Santa and her Elf, and these two are the BEST! What I saw them do yesterday, especially for the older and shy dogs, it was packed with love. Because when it comes to Santa photos, it’s not about the fanciest backdrop or the size of the Santa. It’s all about the LOVE. And I promise you, nowhere is there more love delivered per Santa square inch than from Santa Nancy and Elf Matt.

Look at those eyes. See the lines? The creases? Those are from smiling. Smiling through the sadness. The hardest kind of smile there is. Because losing a job is nothing to smile about. But losing a job during the holidays is worse. Because hurting during the holidays just seems like a more painful kind of hurt.

Oh, and one more thing. Four, actually. As in, four dogs, including a 125 pound mastiff named Harley. And there’s Bella the Schnoodle and Roscoe the Hound and Dakota the Sheppie.

Welcome to Kevin’s world. For the last several days since the food bags ran dry everyone shared the same small dinner. When I asked Kevin about that he said it did not feel good at all. But he didn’t say it to invite sympathy. And he didn’t say it to focus on his own hunger. And he didn’t say it with anger or resentment. Actually, he didn’t complain about it at all. Not a single word.

Instead, he said it in a way that told me he and his wife were willing to eat less for as long as they needed to. But the real pain, the pain that hurt more than the empty stomach, was the pain he felt knowing he was letting his dogs down. Because they counted on him. And now they were going hungry.

This four dog family was filled with love. But right now love was not enough. That’s what bothered him the most. That his dogs were hungry. And being just before Thanksgiving made it sting a bit more.

He called The Pongo Fund without really knowing who we were or what we did. He said another group referred him but he was prepared for us to say no, that we could not help. Because, he said, that’s what the other groups were telling him.

Our Emergency Kibble Response Team is a small team specially assembled to get food where it’s needed as quickly as possible. Although we do not look forward to these moments, when the calls come in we’re ready.

We met Kevin ASAP and loaded him up with enough food and treats to feed all his dogs for the next few weeks. And he was shocked to learn he could come back and get more help at our next pet food bank too.

We also made sure he had Thanksgiving plans that would provide his family with plenty of food. Because if they didn’t we would have taken care of that too, thanks to a special group of our donors that send funds for these very moments. When people need food too.

Kevin is soft spoken. He smiles with his eyes more than his mouth. Thus the wrinkles. And he pets his dog Dakota with the most gentle hands imaginable. But it was his voice. I wish you could have heard him talk to Dakota. He spoke with such tenderness.

I saw and heard that tenderness first-hand when I wanted Dakota to look out the window so I could take his photo. But Dakota decided he wanted to look out the window on the other side of the truck. So I asked Kevin to help.

But instead of pulling Dakota roughly to the window, or raising his voice to get Dakota’s attention, Kevin softly called his name.

He said “Dakota, how about a picture? Hey Dakota, come on over here buddy. It’s ok. Hey sweetie, come say hi.”

And with that, Dakota was at the window. Still focused on several other things in this unfamiliar moment. But he was brave enough to go against his instinct because his Dad asked him too. And because his Dad was close by to rub the back of his neck.

All Kevin wanted was the chance to get his dogs some help. And when he found The Pongo Fund he got everything he hoped for. He said he did not expect to get such good food or so much of it. But he was so very happy that he did.

And that’s what made his eyes sparkle just a bit more. Because he was thankful.

He said those very words. Thankful. But his eyes…his eyes said it even more clearly. And so did Dakota’s.

Giving a chance to animals that might not have a chance and giving hope to families who have little else to be hopeful for. Because sometimes a simple bowl of kibble is the force that both keeps a family together and saves the lives of the animals they love.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

***The Pongo Fund is Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. Because hungry people have hungry pets. Our award winning and volunteer driven group helps more animals than any other group in Oregon by providing high quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy and out of the shelters. 90,000 animals helped; 9,000,000 healthy meals provided. We would be honored if you SHARE this post so that others will also know of our good work***

(This story reposted by special request)