Week 8 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

                  Change is Good ... Part Two

As the photo on the right indicates this is about money again — the metal stuff—not the paper.

A little background first

The Statue of Liberty landed in New York on June 17, 1885. She was in pieces and needed a pedestal. Early fundraising efforts failed … they needed a little more than $100,000 (a couple of million bucks at today’s rates) and no one stepped up. In February 1885, Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of the New York World newspaper promised donors that their names would be published in his newspaper no matter the amount they gave. He also published the notes folks sent along with their nickels and dimes. The idea caught on across the country and even very young school children donated. In five months-time, Pulitzer raised over $100,000 and the Statue of Liberty got her stunning pedestal.*

One Hundred and Thirty Years Later

Change is still setting impressive records especially for the TSA (Transportation Security Administration.) In 2015, they reported that folks in a hurry were leaving their change as they dumped their metal items in the bin, stepped through the scanner and gathered their thing in their race to catch a flight.

The tally for 2015 was nearly a quarter million dollars which the TAS used to upgrade equipment. In 2017, the take was close to a million dollars. TSA tells folks to place their change in their shoes, so they won’t forget it. Obviously, they’re not listening.**

We’re listening.

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth on 12^th Street handed me a sandwich bag partially filled with change. It was over $5.00, and it started me thinking. Everybody has a change jar that collects money for future purchases. But first it must be counted, rolled and deposited in the bank. That’s a lot of energy for $50 or $60 dollars.

In an effort to encourage others to follow Elizabeth’s lead, I wrote a post about donating that idle change to PACC. Well, that sure worked nicely. John, my friend and client read the piece and handed me a large Zip Lock bag of change at our meeting last week. The total there was $37.65.

Sunday, my friend and neighbor Bruce on Miles emptied his container of spare change into my deposit bag. $64.50 was his donation. Elizabeth again donated her change to the tune of $5.61. 

Whether you are like Elizabeth or John and Bruce, any change donation goes a long way to feed those Rescued Critters at PACC. Just keep it up.

*Statue of Liberty Information
Statue of Liberty Information
**TSA Information
TSA Information

Graduated from the Chair to the Table

So much donated pet food and supplies this week, I had to shoot the photograph on Cody’s special perch. We had 9 lbs. of dog food and 7.6 lbs. of cat food. Also, there was a 30 lb. bag of rolled pine (used like cedar chips), a medium dog bed and loads of Rubbermaid Hygen reusable cleaning pads. They’re like industrial sized Swiffer pads.

The total dollar donation was a whopping $163.76 … $107.76 in change.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 7 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks

Change is Good

No, not like life-altering stuff, more like pocket change gathering dust on the top of a dresser in the bedroom. That kind of change.

In the last two weeks participants have donated bags of coins to help feed the pups and kittens. The real surprise is how much is donated. Sunday the final count was $5.11 in quarters, dimes, nickels and lots of pennies. Since our basic donation is $1.00, that accounts for five neighbors which means we can meet our goal sooner.

So gather up all those coins cluttering your counter and dresser top and put them in a tidy sandwich bag. If you have enough to fill a bunch of bags, donate one bag every Sunday until you run out. You probably were wondering what you were going to do with all that change in the first place. Now you have a really good place to spend the money without having to count and wrap anything.

Haley watches me very closely to make sure

I account for everything. Not true, her only concern

is the Jones stick resting on the dog food cans.

Thirty-Nine Participants and Growing

Sundays are more fun now that I have a chance to chat with my neighbors and help Pima Animal Care Center at the same time. Anytime you get a hankering to see what all the fun is about, just give me a call. Your company would add to the fun.

This week we donated 7.8 lbs. of dog and cat food. Also, a neighbor donated two hefty blankets. The cash donation amounted to $60.11. This translates to 67 lbs. of pet food.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 6 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

More Food and More Participants on 13th Street

No rain Sunday so I could spend a little time getting acquainted with some old and some new neighbors. That’s the fun part of this project along with spotting the donations waiting for me on the doorsteps. Haley just loves hanging around food. The more, the merrier she is. Right now, the food collection is to the point where next Monday I will need a dolly to transport the pet food from the truck in the parking lot to the PACC donation desk. Weight is not the issue, it’s the volume. And that’s a good thing. This week we donated 16.6 lbs. of dog and cat food and $25.75 in cash. See you Sunday, Peter

Week 5 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Raining Cats and Dogs Good for Cats and Dogs

In between showers and outbursts on Sunday, I was able to get around to each and every Miles participant and the results were surprising. We donated 9.4 lbs. of canned and dry dog and cat food. Add to that $56.75 in cash and one check. Apparently, folks are finding a donation of a dollar or two each week is easy on the cash flow ad quite easy to do.

Also, there was a donation of $275.00 from the sale of the black Chevy S10. Lee, our neighbor, suggested when I sell the pickup we donate the proceeds to Pima Animal Care Center. So, our total cash donation this week was $331.75. (See full story below.)

The Tale of One Cabriolet and Two Trucks

1987 Cabriolet Convertible

The success of One Can A Week was totally dependent on reliable transportation. When the Cabriolet started to fail, I alerted my participants, asking for suggestions. Lee, my neighbor and friend decided to give me her black, 1998 Chevy S10 pickup truck to collect the donations. Not only did that solve my mobility problems, our donations jumped to 1,000 lbs. per week on average because we now had the capacity to haul so much more food.

About two weeks into our new Rescued Critters Food Drive, the clutch on the 20-year-old  S10 begin to act up, staying in gear or in neutral whether the clutch was up or down. Lots of double clutching to be sure. In addition, the brakes were telling me they need attention, too. (Total repair bill … near $2,000. Nope!)

I called Lee to see if she would sell me her other S10 and she said she would give me that one, also, but I would have to wait until November 1^st when she bought a new car.

 

1998 Chevy S10 Pickup Truck

Oh, boy, my old truck couldn’t last that long. Had to think of something else.

A Pertinent Detour

Larry, a friend and client, had his car in the shop and was dealing with Enterprise, the car rental company. On a recent visit to the rental office, he was shown a Nissen Rogue which he fell in love with, not to mention the price. Larry also learned Enterprise was founded by a group of sailors from the Enterprise, a sister ship to the carrier he served on during WWII as a submarine bomber pilot. That closed the deal.

On the day Larry bought the car I went with him. The folks at Enterprise really treated him well. In fact, they treated all of the other customers as well, too. I was impressed with how personable and friendly the atmosphere was. A month earlier Larry sold his VW convertible to CarMax. They were

Pull-A-Part bought the Chevy S10
for $275.00 which was then donated
to PACC per Lee’s direction.

quite professional and matter of fact. Guess that is why Enterprise stuck out in my mind.

At the end of our car-buying day, I had to take some paperwork back to Enterprise on my way home. As I walked into the showroom I got an idea and immediately headed for the manager’s office. Mr. Silva invited me in and I told him my two truck story and if he could help my friend Lee find her Kia Soul I could get my truck and press on with my community service. Mr. Silva smiled and said he would help. That night I sent Lee his contact information and crossed my fingers.
On October 1^st, not November 1^st, Lee sent me this happy email.

2002 Chevy S10 Pickup Truck

“hi peter
u can get the truck monday anytime after 9 am. … got a 2017 kia at enterprise. get it monday also.”

My email reply was happy, too. “Wonderful, the folks at Enterprise helped make our wishes come true.”

Guess the moral of this story is, if you are having car situations that are stressing you out, go to Enterprise on Speedway across the street from Whole Foods. It worked for me.

Enterprise, 3313 E. Speedway Blvd. Mr. Cruz Silva, Area Car Sales Manager, 520-319-8353 or 520-891-9264 (cell).

See you Sunday,

Peter 

Week 4 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Our First Year's Goal is to Donate

4,333.3 Pounds (2.2 tons) of Pet Food

That’s a lot but we have a really good jump on it. Only about 25% of the Miles neighborhood has be canvased to date. It will take perhaps 8 more Sundays to get around to everyone to ask if they wish to participate. Even with our participants so far, we are averaging 59.5 lbs. of food each week. The goal average is 83.3 lbs. per week.

Here are the numbers: 75 neighbors donate $1.00 per week x 52 weeks = $3,900.00. With Pima Animal Care Center’s $0.90 per pound purchasing power, $3,900.00 turns into 4,333.3 lbs. of pet food or 2.2 tons.

We can do this.

2018 Rescued Critters Food Drive Third Quarter Report

Signed Up 9 More Participants

on E. 13th Street

Although it was still quite hot, I got a burst of energy
when I stopped to talk to my neighbors on 13^th Street. It had been nearly two years since we last spoke, but it was like All Home Week. (Yep, I come from the Midwest via the Big Apple.) Anyway, neighbor after neighbor wanted to help and they were happy to see I was back at it.

We collected 8.4 lbs. of pet food, some treats, a couple of dog bowls, and $49.16 in cash.

See you Sunday,

Peter