News

Issue # 7

1.     Intro

2.     Homeless Report

3.     Grants

4.     Quote

1.  Intro – The facts about homelessness are scary.  Our unstable economy has caused more people to become homeless.  When they have a pet it becomes harder to find shelter and pet food.  More than 10% of the homeless have at least one pet; over 25% of people living in poverty have a pet.  Their pets are nonjudgmental, offer comfort, and provide an emotional bond of loyalty.  In some cases, they provide the homeless protection and keep them warm.  We are determined to provide food and medical care for these pets.

 Feeding Pets of the Homeless is a nonprofit member organization that provides pet food and veterinarian care to the homeless and less fortunate in local communities across the United States and Canada. 

 How?  Our members collect pet food and deliver it to food banks and/or soups kitchens which have agreed to distribute the food to the homeless and impoverished.  We now have 54 members in 23 states, one member in Canada and we’re growing.  Our headquarters are in Carson City, Nevada and it is from here that we coordinate and support our members.  We collect donations, distribute grant applications to veterinarians, review and award grants, and we provide marketing materials and promote the organization for our members to the national media. 

 If you would like to help here are a number of ways:

Visit our website www.petsofhomeless.org and find a member in your community and make a pet food donation, or become a sponsor to a new member in your area or make a cash donation.

2.  Homeless Report:  

As more and more Americans feel the financial crunch — gas prices rising, paychecks not keeping pace with consumer costs and the growing number of home foreclosures — America’s pets are taking a hit as well.

·          Most Americans underestimate how the problem of homelessness affects families. About 600,000 families and 1.35 million children experience homelessness in the United States.  63% of those have a pet.

·          Too many veterans have no place to return home. On any given night, as many as 200,000 veterans are living on the street or in a shelter.

·          America’s small towns and communities are not immune to the problem of homelessness. Almost 9 percent of our nation’s homeless live in rural communities.

·          Everyone finds transitioning to adulthood difficult, but homeless adolescents have even greater obstacles to overcome. Approximately 8 percent of American youth experience homelessness each year.

·          Each year, nearly 650,000 people are released from U.S. prisons, and over seven million are released from jails. People exiting prisoner or jails are at increased risk for homelessness. More than 10 percent of those coming in and out of prisons and jail are homeless in the months before their incarceration. Approximately 650,000 former prisoners will be released this year. Without assistance accessing housing, many will become homeless

3. Grants –  We encourage our readers to contact your veterinarian to tell him/her about a grant program where they can obtain grant money to help cover costs of treating pets of the homeless.  Grant guidelines and applications can be obtained by emailing info@petsofhomeless.org 

 Feeding Pets of the Homeless awarded a grant to Grove Way Veterinary Hospital in Castro Valley, CA.  Our member Donna Butler-Gates donates some of her time to helping pets of the homeless by providing grooming services.  A dog of a homeless woman was in need of medical care and with Donna’s help; we were able to assist with some of the costs to cover his treatment at the hospital.

4.  Quote:  A bone to the dog is not charity.  Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog”." – Jack London

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We would love to hear from you! Please email your comments, questions or suggestions to: info@petsofhomeless.org

 Visit  http://www.cafepress.com/2255homeless your purchase of items will help us with the day to day operations of the organization.

 Please go to the website and check for members of Feeding Pets of the Homeless to see if there is a new member in your community.  http://www.petsofhomeless.org/members.htm

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