Week 71 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

This Week's 403.3 lbs. is the most pet food ever!

Just count the bags, 5 dog food and 5 cat food.

It’s almost like clockwork now. Soon after I arrive at PACC on Mondays, Liana and Shari appear at the front desk to quickly accept and haul our donation away. They are always excited to get our food because we are the only folks donating so much to their outreach program.

Their next important event is the Gem Show which begins January 30^th and runs 18 days through February 16^th. It’s Tucson biggest event and PACC’s, too.

On October 7, 2018, a few weeks after we launched Rescued Critters Food Drive, we donated 378 lbs. of food. However that was mostly in cash, because I donated the money the salvage yard paid me for my old truck.

Today’s donation was 336.6 lbs. of pet food and $60.00 in two check. The dollars translate to 66.7 lbs. of food.  Together they created that monster number of 403.3 lbs.

Also we donated 2 small blankets, 5 regular towels and 3 pill bottles.

To refresh your memory, one 50 lb. bag of dog food can feed, on average, 100 25 lb. dogs (Westie, Beagle, French Bulldog, Boston Terrier) a single half pound meal. So we need to keep our averages up to feed many of the dogs of homeless folks here in Tucson. Those pups probably tip the scales at 50 lbs.

We’re doing it now and we want to keep on doing it … Right?   

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 70 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

$100.00 per Day vs. $158 per Week

It takes $100 per day to care for one pup at the Pima Animal Care Center. (They have over 700 dogs and cats up for adoption right now.)

To help that same pup stay with a homeless caretaker or a down-on-their-luck family takes us donating only $158 dollars every week. And for a while now we have been doing just that.

The best way to decrease the pet population at PACC is to stop the drop offs at the front door.

To do that PACC has created a community outreach program where they proactively seek pets heading for trouble. In other words, they engage the homeless pet owners to provide food, help with medical issues and they give pups boots to protect their paws against extremely hot sidewalks and roadways.

And for those folks who have a home but can’t afford to feed their dogs or cats, PACC hands out food on a weekly basis. This is where we come in. The Miles Neighborhood donates so much food we have become the number one provider for this terrific community outreach program.

Just think about it, two bowls of pet food per day or $100 per week to properly care for an abandoned pet in a cage. And then there’s the sadness of those struggling families having to surrender their pet because they don’t have enough money to buy a handful of kibble. Ouch!

When I delivered our donation today, Liana (right) the Community Outreach Specialist and Shari, Pup in Boots Volunteer Leader where there to immediately take our food to the back and start the processing. We talked about a lot of things very quickly but one thing surprised me.

Liana said some folks come up to her and say they are not happy with the program because they are “enabling folks to not be responsible.” I just shook my head. Help is help and what’s this with judging absolute strangers.

My friend Steve, an ardent animal lover, saw a young lady who was sitting outside Walmart’s front door holding a very cute puppy. She looked at no one but it was apparent she was seeking support. I had seen the same woman earlier that day on my trip to Walmart.

Steve decided to give her $20.00 and later when he told me about it, he questioned whether the puppy would benefit from his gift.

The next day, Sunday, when buying two more 50 lb. bags of dog food, I saw the same young lady again. This time the puppy was lying on a blanket and had a new steel water bowl. As soon as I got back to the truck I called Steve.

“Your money was well spent,” I said, “she bought the puppy stuff and was talking to it with lots of affectionate questions. Are you thirsty? Do you need a snack?” Enabling, indeed.

What motivates me about all this is that we are on the frontline of this issue and we are doing something about it. What a great feeling.

Another Way to Generate More

Rescued Critters Revenue

Rescued Critters Food Drive for Pima Animal Care Center is pleased to announce a new fund-raising program. Along with its weekly door-to-door food collection in the Miles Neighborhood, we will convert your favorite tape cassettes to mp3 files for only $5.00 each.

On the internet the cost to convert cassettes is generally $10.00+ dollars each for volume orders over 40.

In addition, we provide a scan of the liner notes for only $2.00 and a $10.00 16 GB flash drive.

Please call or email Peter Norback to schedule a pick-up. (520) 248-3694, pnorback@cox.net.

This week we donated 305.7 lbs. of pet food, 17 pill bottles, a pillow case, a small hoodie, an Amazon roll of baggies and $14.58 in cash and one check.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 69 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Our Pet Food Keeps Loads of

Pets in their Homes

In the past 17 weeks we have donated more than two tons of pet food to PACC so feeding loads is what we do. Today after I dropped off our donation I sat in front of the building and made a phone call. I was touched by folks picking up their pets from the clinic. One guy held his 50 pound pup like a baby looking down at him while he walked. He then kissed his nose. I thought another guy was holding a burrito wrapped in a wash cloth. As he got closer to my truck he pushed the fabric away gently to reveal a very tiny puppy.

Then I saw a woman wheel all of our huge pet food bags, 6 in all, on an industrial cart into the clinic. They were stacked on top of each other and looked massive. So it’s true, I thought, all of our donations are going to the PACC outreach program. That means we are feeding lots of pets that belong to homeless folks. Also, folks who are not homeless but don’t have enough money to care for their pets.

PACC started their outreach program to be proactive in the community. Instead of just picking up strays or runaways, they fix fences, provide low cost or free medical care and give food to those in need. The idea is to do whatever is necessary to keep the pet with its owner. That makes all the parties involved happy.

And now, because we donate so much food every week we are part of their incredibly important outreach program. I know I am proud of what we are doing and you should be, too. 

More Proof in a Blue Envelope

I was about to pull out of my parking space when I remembered a large blue envelope the customer service rep handed me after she finished our transaction. “This is from Bennett,” she said. Bennett is our contact person and PACC’s Community Programs Manager.

The envelope was a bit puffy so I thought it might be a musical greeting card. I got one of those “dogs barking Jingle Bells” for Christmas from Christina and Blake, my friends in the big house. I was prepared to be amused again.

The puff was a die cut Thank You that stuck out from the card. A delight and touching, too.

It is enough for me to know that we are really helping PACC and dogs and cats and their owners stay together. The kind words make it even better. 

For Those Who Love the Numbers

We are averaging 264 lbs. of pet food per week. Not only are we feeding a significant number of dogs and cats, I am staying in shape. 

This week we donated 260.5 lbs. of pet food, 1 pill bottle, a bag of treats and $34.57 in cash and one check.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 68 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Holiday Happenings

Ward Five Council Member Richard Fimbres is a teamwork maven who honors the people who have helped him “get the job done” throughout the year. As you can see, there are lots of folks including police, firefighters, teachers, city staff and some ordinary citizens, too.

To my surprise, Pat Tapia from Environmental Services, was one of the honorees. He’s the gentleman who helps us quickly clean up our neighborhood when there is dumping.

Three more folks followed Pat and then I was called up. Richard talked about One Can A Week, Rescued Critters and cleaning up the Miles Neighborhood. “He does all that all by himself.”

No one said anything after they received their medallion but I had to explain the situation.  

“I have to tell you something about cleaning up the neighborhood. Environmental Services and Pat Tapia make it happen. Without Pat’s help, I’m just chopped liver.”  

Big laugh but everyone now knows that Pat is key to keeping our Miles Neighborhood free of dumping or any neighborhood in Tucson for that matter.

We are all scient beings ...

humans, other mammals, honey bees, trees ...

Of all the art forms, photography moves me the most. Humans make up so many things that are nowhere near the truth I am often confounded. Then I discover a profound photograph of poor folks, abandoned veterans, kids in cages and even a ground squirrel snuggling with a flower.

We have to all appreciate this planet and everything on it. I know, that has been said since we came out of the caves 12,000 years ago. However, if we don’t do something about it now, we’re all going to be back in the caves soon no matter how much money we have.

Photo of ground squirrel in Vienna, Austria nuzzling sunflower by Dick van Duijn. CNN photo of the year. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/12/specials/year-in-pictures/news.html

This week we donated 259.1 lbs. of pet food, 10 pill bottles, a dog collar, 3 dog toys, 20 cleanup bags and $28.48 in cash and two check.

To clarify, $24.98 of the total donations ($53.46) was used to purchase 50 lbs. of pet food at 55 cents per pound.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 67 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

  Hi Folks,

PACC Outreach Folks Grateful for “So Much Food”

On Saturday I got an email from Bennett Simonsen, PACC’s Community Programs Manager and our contact. He was attending the vaccine clinic and Rescued Critters came up in a conversation. Here, I’ll let Bennett tell it.

“We have a giant vaccine clinic today and one of our staff who does outreach and a volunteer who does outreach both mentioned you and how grateful they are for you bringing in so much food. I thought I’d pass it along. :)”

Outreach connects with people in Tucson who love dogs and cats but may not have the wherewithal to afford food and veterinarian help. That’s why PACC offers free clinics and free food when available. And our donations are an important part of that mission, it turns out.

So any time you feel like adding more to your Sunday donation, know that more is always good … and appreciated. 

Get Ready for Brush and Bulky the week of January 6th

Click on map to view Brush and Bulky 2020 Schedule Online

For two months now I have been looking for the 2020 schedule for Brush and Bulky. Then last Tuesday, I heard from a neighbor who was motivated to contact me after reading the post on dumping. He was putting trash in the alley a week before the Brush and Bulky pickup and thought I should know because he didn’t want to be “put up on your wall of shame.”

That made me laugh and a number of folks I told. The photos were not meant to shame anyone. They are simply to show we do have a dumping problem here in Miles, but we also have a quick solution.

The idea I would like to get across is that we have free and posted bulky trash pickups every 90 days in Miles. If there were more conscientious neighbors like the gentleman who gave me a heads up on Brush and Bulky, there will be no need for photos of trash on the sidewalks and easements.

By the way, just hold down the control key and click on the map at the same time to link to the 2020 Brush and Bulky schedule. 

This week we donated 132 lbs. of pet food, 2 pill bottles,  one chicken stick and one $10.00 check. The $63.59 cash donations purchased 116 lbs. of pet food at 55 cents per pound.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 66 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

A short list of dumping you

probably never noticed ... 

because they were gone within 48 hours.

Steve, my friend and neighbor asked me today if I saw the dumped mattress over on 12^th and Warren. I said yes I did and it was picked up before noon along with a couch and lots of branches. See second photo on the left.

The backstory is I picked up the mattress on Sunday after my rounds along with a number of other items I had spotted. Everything was piled in a wide alley and a photo taken. Sunday evening I sent an email requesting a work order to my friend Pat Tapia at Environmental Services. While walking my pups around the neighborhood about noon today I saw the pile was gone. I was actually startled by the empty alley.

Pat tells me that I can expect a pickup within 24 – 48 hours after I notify him. This latest pickup only took 4 hours. This got me thinking about how much Pat has helped me clean up our Miles Neighborhood and, too, realizing he’s not getting enough appreciation from us.

Those photos only tell eight stories of dumping on our streets and in our alleys. Actually there were at least a score in the last year. Of course, I thank Pat in each work-order request email and lately, I have moved all of the dumping into one pile for his crew instead of having them make stops at individual addresses.  

I know we can do even more to show our gratitude for a clean and safe neighborhood so I would like all of us to send Pat a Christmas Card telling him how much his efforts mean to us. All you have to say is “Thank you, Pat, for making my neighborhood clean and safe.”

Send the holiday greeting card to:

Mr. Pat L. Tapia

Environmental & General Services Department

4004 S. Park Avenue

Building 1

Tucson, AZ 85726-7210

I already have a new pile accumulating in an alley that includes a very large and heavy TV so, I would like you to move with a slight sense of urgency.

And thank you.

This week we donated 208.4 lbs. of pet food, 1 pill bottle, and $47.55 in cash and one check.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 65 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Another Update: Scooter Creep

As promised, Erica from the Tucson Department of Transportation called me back the day before Thanksgiving and said she had spoken to a lawyer about scooters indiscriminately parked on a homeowner’s sidewalk. Definitely, the homeowner is not responsible, however, the party who left the obstruction is.

My suggestion is to put the scooter in the street near the curb but away from parked cars. You don’t want to fix your problem but cause a problem for your neighbor after he or she runs the darn thing over.

If you would like to learn all about your sidewalk responsibility, just click on the link: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/transportation/files/Chapter_25.pdf

and read Section 25 – 12 and 13. Or you can just keep your sidewalk clean and when there is upheaval or damage call a sidewalk repair person. Simple, right?

The sign is working!

The reaction to the Poop Deserter sign is positive, with a smile. Oh, there was one negative comment about the strong language but one should really hate—not just dislike—things in life like Hitler, bullies, animal, kids and people abusers, arsonists and so on.

To date the signs have been ripped down in front of the Miles School and the above trashed sign found in the barrel in the park. It was replace post haste.

The point is folks are now paying attention to the problem and there appears to be less of a mess. 

This week we donated 206.6 lbs. of pet food, 6 pill bottles, and $93.26 in cash and one check. Our cash donation was more than twice the amount for last week. Very nice.

See you Sunday,

Peter