Julia K Cole

Some items are in high demand at the food bank and you may not realize it. Because they aren’t essentials, the staff doesn’t publicly ask for them. A survey on Reddit.com asked volunteers what items people would be most appreciative of and we’ve listed the top 10 below. If you’re looking for an easy way to help out, pick some of these up while shopping and drop them off at one of our area food banks. 1. Spices. Think about it. People who rely on the food bank eat a lot of canned food, rice, oatmeal, white bread, etc. They love spices. Seasoned salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, oregano, basil and so on. 2. Feminine Products. Can you imagine being worried about affording these? Pads, tampons, panty liners, etc. Recommended: Buy in bulk at Costco for donating. 3. Chocolate. People don’t need it, but think about being in their shoes and how nice it would be to be given a chocolate bar or brownie mix along with your essentials. 4. ...

Is Paying  It Forward on your Christmas List this year?   Well, here are just a few ways you can check it off! Volunteer at your local Homeless Shelter.  Serve a hot meal to a neighbor or a stranger. Visit/Volunteer at  a Nursing Home and/or Children's home. Your Local Shelter Is In Need Year Round! Foster, Rescue or Adopt a Pet from your Local Shelter.Shelters are Always looking for donations in the form of money, blankets, cleaning supplies, food, toys.  Volunteer to hold and play with kittens and pups and/or walk a dog. Donate food and/or money to your local food pantry (both human and animals)   Hold the door open for someone Let someone go ahead of you in line! If you ride the public bus, pay the fare for the person behind you (You can also do this at your favorite fast food hang out,  coffee shop, grocers, etc.) Read to the elderly, to children, to the blind, to the home bound! PET FOOD BANK: Donate Food for Needy fam...

Veterans at all stages of their military careers struggle with emotional and physical issues, including those that challenge their ability to fully integrate into civilian life. Some return from deployment with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or other psychological trauma. Others are long separated from service but struggle with depression, substance abuse, or outright loneliness. For these and many other circumstances, a companion pet is often the right prescription to help heal mind, body, and soul. Pets for Patriots helps these veterans find and afford a "last-chance" pet: adult and special needs animals, and large breed dogs - those most overlooked for adoption, who face the greatest risk of euthanasia and yet make wonderful and grateful companions. Operating nationwide, Pets for Patriots helps veterans combat the primary obstacle to pet ownership - cost of care - by providing access to ongoing discounted veterinary care, financial...

With much of the East Coast now buried in snow, you may be wondering how outdoor cats are surviving. In fact, even though stray and feral cats are at home outside, they can always use some extra help in cold or severe weather. Here’s what you can do to help them stay safe, warm and healthy during the winter months. Car Safety:   Before starting your car, give the hood a tap and check between the tires — cats will sometimes crawl into the engine or hide underneath the car for warmth. This is also the time of year for antifreeze, which often tastes irresistible to cats and other animals, but is toxic and deadly. Keep it out of reach and clean up any spills! Shelter:  Keep your feral cat colonies comfortable this winter by providing them with a shelter.  Dog houses can also do the trick with a few modifications. Whether you’re buying or building, make sure the door is no bigger than 6-8″ wide to keep out other animals. If you’re modifying a dog house, you’ll need t...

TOVAH Tovah was found abandoned, cold and nearly starved to death. She was emaciated and suffering from a severe upper respiratory infection and intestinal conditions. She hardly had the energy to stand. Tovah is now safe at North Shore Animal League America where she is receiving veterinary care and warm, loving attention. We are counting on you to help us continue to provide Tovah, and many animals like her, with the care they need to recover and live long and happy lives. CLICK HERE TO HELP!

Some of the coldest weather in years will move over much of the eastern half of the nation into the first part of the week. Please take these steps to protect your community cats. * Cold weather can increase a cat's energy and nutritional needs. Don't forget extra water to prevent dehydration. Check it often and place in an area protected from the wind to minimize freezing. * Wet food in insulated containers is ideal for cold-weather feeding-because it takes less energy to digest, that's more energy for keeping warm. Cats need more food for energy in the winter. * Use two storage bins (like Rubbermaid). Line the bins with Styrofoam and cut out a doorway to create an instant shelter. Visit http://alleycatadvocates.org/resources/creating-winter-shelters/ for other ideas. * In a Pinch, a cardboard shelter is better than no shelter. To keep it from getting wet, elevate off the ground, line with newspapers and cover the lid with plastic (a garbage bag will...

Design Basics There are many ways to build adequate shelter will all good designs sharing two qualities: strong insulation and minimal air space. The insulation is needed to trap the cats’ body heat, effectively turning the cats into little radiators. Empty air space needs to be eliminated in order to keep the amount of space that needs to be heated to a minimum. A well insulated large dog house will not work because there will be too much air space for the cats to warm. Likewise, a tight fitting space with thin, uninsulated walls won’t work either because the cat’s body heat will pass right through. Smaller Shelters Provide Warmth – Build More, Smaller Shelters With these design factors in mind, it is better to build two smaller shelters which will each hold three or four cats than one large shelter to house six to eight felines. With smaller shelters, even if only one or two cats go in, enough heat will be generated. But with the larger shelter, if only a small number of the c...

Design Basics There are many ways to build adequate shelter will all good designs sharing two qualities: strong insulation and minimal air space. The insulation is needed to trap the cats’ body heat, effectively turning the cats into little radiators. Empty air space needs to be eliminated in order to keep the amount of space that needs to be heated to a minimum. A well insulated large dog house will not work because there will be too much air space for the cats to warm. Likewise, a tight fitting space with thin, uninsulated walls won’t work either because the cat’s body heat will pass right through. Smaller Shelters Provide Warmth – Build More, Smaller Shelters With these design factors in mind, it is better to build two smaller shelters which will each hold three or four cats than one large shelter to house six to eight felines. With smaller shelters, even if only one or two cats go in, enough heat will be generated. But with the larger shelter, if only a small number of the c...

CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR NO KILL LOUISVILLE OR COPY AND PASTE THE LINK BELOW http://www.shelterchallenge.com/nomineehome?p_p_id=nomineeinfo_WAR_charityusaportlet&p_p_lifecycle=0&nomineeId=16734 ABOUT NO KILL LOUISVILLE: No Kill Louisville is a 501c3 non-profit, all volunteer organization. Mission - Through the support and creation of programs and services, collaboration, and advocacy, No Kill Louisville will build a community where no adoptable pet or feral cat is killed. Vision  - We envision our community as a place where no adoptable pet or feral cat is killed, regardless of resources, economics, or politics. About Shelter Challenge Shelter Challenge and GreaterGood.org (GGO) are proud to announce a new Shelter Challenge with 244 cash and non-monetary prizes.   Voting began on August 12, 2013, at 12:01 a.m. PT, and will end on October, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. PT.  Winners will be announced weekly on Wednesdays for cert...

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – A severely emaciated dog infested with fleas was discovered at a shelter Monday morning, according to The Arrow Fund. The female Chihuahua mix, named Cher, was dumped in the overnight drop at Mason County Animal Shelter and taken to Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners in Louisville for 24 hour care. One she arrived Dr. Scott Rizzo assessed Cher and her fragile frame. "Her body condition is about a one out of nine," said Rizzo. "Her blood work would suggest that she has not been getting adequate nutrition for a long time and she's quite a bit down the way." The two to three year old pup weighs only seven pounds, which is half of what she should. "We're putting together a feeding plan," said Rizzo. "You have to be very, very careful with how you re-feed these dogs. They can actually get complications from feeding too quickly now because the body can't handle the food." Dr. Rizzo believes with the ri...

"Scratching is an essential element of cats' communication, problem-solving, health, and security issues." -Jackson Galaxy You can help make shelter cats more comfortable and adoptable. In most shelters, cats live in small, easy-to-clean stainless-steel cages with a metal gate as the entry, a small litter pan, food, water, and a towel or blanket. This meets the most basic of physical needs, but in no way meets behavioral or emotional needs to keep a cat healthy and satisfied. Cats communicate with scent. They have scent glands on their cheeks, their head, and their paw pads, and when a cat leans up and scratches something, they are effectively announcing, "this is my space, my home." But in a stainless steel kennel, there is no place to scratch. Also, every time a worker sanitizes the cage - a necessary process - the cat's natural scent is washed away, and kitty is left once again in an alien and frightening place. Providing specially-designed cat ...