The two lovely young dogs pictured below are Smokey and Angel, who are up for
adoption by Home Van Pet Care Project. They are brother and sister and must be
kept together.
Angel
Smokey
Smokey and Angel were brought into Dignity Village when they were just about 3
months old. The person who brought them in was careless and irresponsible, and eventually abandoned these little ones. Before they were further abused or
abandoned, we were able to take custody and place them in a foster home.
The foster parents are a couple of the best dog trainers and most loving caretakers
that we have known. They love these pups but have a couple of dogs already and
really want the best for Smokey and Angel. These brave dogs have comforted and defended each other through a very difficult part of their lives. We will be sure they
make a safe transition into a permanent home.
The dogs are about 6 months old now. Smokey, a neutered male, weighs about 30 pounds and Angel, a spayed female, weighs about 25. They are house trained and
walk well on their leashes. They are fully vaccinated, they are well fed, and their
coats are shiny. They have not been tried with children or cats, but they are friendly
and get along well with other dogs.
Please contact Elizabeth at 352-246-2727 if you would like to meet the dogs.
Wanted: Reliable volunteers
Home Van Pet Care Project needs good regular volunteers for several jobs.
Job 1: Weekly. Pick up pet food from the North Main Street Publix on any day, and
take it to HVPCP's storage unit by noon on Wednesday.
Job 2: Weekly. Around noon every Saturday, bag food in the storage unit and load
it into the HVPCP vehicle for later transport to Dignity Village.
Job 3: Monthly. Help with the Sunday afternoon veterinary clinic and food
distribution at Dignity Village, which is usually but not always the third Sunday of
each month. The clinic runs from 2:00 to roughly 4:00. Before the clinic, help bag
and load food into the HVPCP vehicle, then go out to Dignity Village and help other volunteers with distribution.
Volunteers might occasionally be asked to bag and load pet food on Wednesdays to
fill in for other volunteers, and/or to help with food distribution downtown at 2:00 on Wednesday or at Dignity Village at 2:00 on Saturday. We encourage friends to
volunteer in pairs and fill in for each other as needed.
If you are interested or for more information, contact Elizabeth at 352-246-2727.
Our Wish List
Our list is long and we hope you continue to support us.
For our Disaster Preparation Project and for use when relocating to an inside home:We will provide pet food from our regular supplies, but we would like to supplement this with some canned food. Mighty Dog small cans are good for the dogs, and Fancy Feast small cans are the kitties' favorite. We would also like to include some bottles of water and light-weight plastic pet food and water bowls. Also, we need new or gently used duffel bags and backpacks. These help people carry their pet food home without getting wet or spilling, and would be very useful when moving or in emergency evacuations.
We need all sizes and strength of leashes, food bowls and water bowls for both cats and dogs.
Dry dog food, especially Purina Dog Chow in green bags. Dry cat food, especially Purina Friskies Seafood Sensation in blue bags. Fancy Feast canned food for cats because they love it, and Mighty Dog for dogs, because they love it and because the cans are small and can be used all at once, no refrigeration required.
Thank you for all your donations and for supporting us with your good wishes.
Financial donations can be made by check payable to Home Van Pet Care Project, Inc., and mailed c/o Elizabeth Howard, P.O. Box 14305, Gainesville FL 32604; or by PayPal at our blog, http://homevanpetcareproject.blogspot.com. Money, food, and new or clean leashes, harnesses, collars, bowls, blankets and towels can be dropped off at Sisset's....A Fun Twist on Home & Patio, 3429 W University Ave., 352-224-5192. For more information or to volunteer, call or text352-246-2727.
Also, don't forget our Amazon Wish List! Or designate Home Van Pet Care Project as your beneficiary on Amazon Smile.
Our Mission: To provide food for pets of homeless persons in our community; offer education on pet care and spay/neuter; assist with access to veterinary care; foster respect for animals and the animal/human bond.
Help Us Make the Match!
A generous donor has offered to match any funds we can raise between now and the Fourth of July up to $1000.00! You can donate online (securely, of course) using the button below, or mail a check payable to Home Van Pet Care Project, Inc. c/o Elizabeth Howard, P.O. Box 14305, Gainesville FL 32604. These funds will feed a lot of hungry pets. Please help us make our match.
Wednesday is our big pet food day. It starts with a mid-morning pet food pickup, then re-bagging larger bags into four pound zip-lock containers, then loading everything into our vehicle.
Downtown distribution: Precisely at 2pm each Wednesday we park and distribute pet food behind Lynch Park, off S. Main St. in downtown Gainesville. Most of our clients there are housed, but very low income, including several veterans provided with V.A. housing, and some people who rent rooms or have help from family. There are several people still living in wooded areas around town, with and without permission. More people here have cats and are cooperating with Operation Catnip so all the kitties can be spayed, neutered, vaccinated and fed. Most people come on bikes, so we see the pets only at home visits, which is something we enjoy doing.
Dignity Village:On Saturday afternoons we go to Dignity Village/Grace Marketplace. Here we mostly do see the pets, and check on their well-being. The pet population seems to stay around 20 dogs and 6 cats, as people are always coming and going.
A downtown kitty at home..
Rocky, a Dignity dog, invites us to visit inside his tent.
All and all we are currently distributing 400-500 pounds of pet food weekly. Some is purchased with the aid of grant money from the Wagmore Foundation, our principal supporter, but we also get food from local agencies and individuals. Quite a lot is donated by bringing it to one of our drop off locations, listed at the bottom of this newsletter. Thrifty Critter gifts us with canned foods and various supplies and has shared the proceeds of a garage sale with us.
Our truck, loaded up for deliveries on Wednesday morning (left) and after our trip to Dignity Village on Saturdayafternoon.
More about Dignity Village
In March, puppies descended on Dignity, three of them with people who unfortunately didn't give them very good care. Within two months we had taken two of them into foster care. Fortunately, we were able to have them vaccinated, spayed and neutered and are considering permanent homes.
Also in March, we were visited by people we call the "scammers." Someone's mother had accumulated too many dogs so they decided it would be a good idea to dump some of them with the homeless community. Luckily, they selected responsible individuals and avoided anyone who might be abusive. These little dogs are safe and loved in their adoptive homes at Dignity:
Lola
Zeta
Since the beginning of 2018, EIGHTEEN new pets have come in to Dignity, and several into Grace. All are welcome at our monthly veterinary clinic, and we have managed to keep everyone vaccinated, spayed and neutered.
Our Wish List
Our list is long and we hope you continue to support us.
For our Disaster Preparation Project and for use when relocating to an inside home: Empty, clean kitty litter buckets, that we will pack with a supply of dry and canned dog or cat food as well as food and water bowls. We hope everyone gets a home soon for themselves and their pets. Also, we need new or gently used duffel bags and backpacks. These help people carry their pet food home without getting wet or spilling.
We need all sizes and strength of leashes, food bowls and water bowls for both cats and dogs.
Dry dog food, especially Purina Dog Chow in green bags. Dry cat food, especially Purina Friskies Seafood Sensation in blue bags. Fancy Feast canned food for cats because they love it, and Mighty Dog for dogs, because they love it and because the cans are small and can be used all at once, no refrigeration required.
Some final thoughts
The Home Van Pet Care Project has survived and prospered over the years due to wonderful supporters and volunteers. We continue to work hard with some amazing new volunteers: Trey and Paola bagging the pet food, Kiernan helping wherever needed, Ann and Paul helping with their van and carpentry skills, and our wonderful Dignity volunteers Ramona and Keith, who help with everything including with education and fostering.
Even so, we need more help! The only way to stay ahead of the wind is to have more volunteers. We especially need a flexible person for Wednesdays who can learn our whole routine with pets and people.
A wish for all of us: as I was driving around Dignity Village on Saturday, John Lennon's "Imagine" started to play on the car radio. I turned up the radio and stopped the car, windows down. There were four women who gathered around and we listened to "... I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." What better wish could we have for each other?
Thank you for all your donations and for supporting us with your good wishes.
Also, don't forget our Amazon Wish List! Or designate Home Van Pet Care Project as your beneficiary on Amazon Smile.
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