Week 80 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Rescued Critters Food Drive

to Continue Through Pandemic

From the very first, the Rescued Critters Food Drive was designed to involve very little human contact after the first neighborly chat. Every Sunday our participants leave their donation on the doorstep which I pick up while leaving behind a Thank You card.

There is little threat of contamination and all those hungry PACC dogs and cats can still be feed weekly.

As more restrictions are established for families to shelter in place, restaurants around the country will begin to follow our system of door-to-door food delivery.

Tracking the Coronavirus daily will help

keep you feeling more in control

NPR’s Daniel Wood, Elena Renken and Stephanie Adeline have created a daily updated chart of Coronavirus cases based on data supplied by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Here is the link: Map: Tracking the Spread of the Coronavirus in the U.S.
What we are experiencing is a major historical event involving every human on the planet. The Coronavirus landed in Washington state on January 21. What you see on the chart dated March 16, is just 56 days later. If we all follow our doctors’ orders, we will flatten the curve in a few months. If we party like there is no tomorrow … there will be no tomorrow.

Things to think about in your safe home.

Studying and working from home is taking off very quickly. Who knew they had all that in place already. This means the commute is on the way out as are the autos and nasty carbon emissions.

New Flowers in the Alley

When my new neighbors Ed and Carlos moved into their new home on Miles Street a few months ago, they quickly planted 16 Aloe plants along their alley fence. Just as quickly the plants shriveled up and looked quite dead. (See photo strip at bottom of the image)

It was something I pondered every day because I pass that part of the alley in the evening while walking my pups. Then yesterday as I drove by in my truck I caught a glimpse of a pink stem and stepped on the brakes.

From a mess of some dehydrated and curled Aloe leaves stands a flower shining in the sun. All that rain last week worked a little magic. So the world isn’t such a menacing place after all. There is always hope.  

This week’s donation was 275.8 lbs. of pet food and $15.00 in two checks. In addition, there was 1 cat collar, 1 bag of dog treats, 1 small steel pet bowl and 82 pill bottles.

See you Sunday,

Peter 

Week 79 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Counting on Our Neighbors

Two short weeks ago, Sarah, my neighbor on 12^th Street told me about the new homeless encampment just above the Arroyo Chico runoff canal at the foot of the park. I talked to the police and folks at Environmental Services and was told to send Pat Tapia, the Deputy Director a photograph.

Within a few days, Lisa, another neighbor who lives in Barrio San Antonio, stopped me while I was walking my pups and told me the mess was gone.

Check out the photo above. The inset photo at the bottom left is the before image.

Last week Bob, my neighbor on Miles helped me move two double bed mattresses from the alley behind the apartment on 12^th Street to the alley at the intersection of Cherry and 13^th Street. We placed them next to two large, really worn out refrigerators. Everything was gone after lunch today.

The point is, if you see something say something to me. Having so many eyes, watching all of the streets in our neighborhood will keep all of us happy and safe.

More good news … the roll-offs will arrive Friday March 20^th and stay until Tuesday morning, March 24^th. You will receive a printed notice on Sunday, March 15^th.

Want to see how PACC and our food

is helping pets of Homeless Vets?

Come to the 2020 Tucson Veterans Stand Down Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

This week’s donation was 269.9 lbs. of pet food and a $10.00 check. In addition, there was 1 box of treats, 2 tennis balls, 75 qt. zip bags and 4 pill bottles.

See you Sunday,

Peter 

Week 78 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

A Matter of Jurisdiction

On Sunday, Sarah, my neighbor on 12^th Street, asked me if I had seen the homeless encampment at the fringe of the Arroyo Chico Park near 12^th and Fremont. I had not and wasn’t looking for one since the arroyo was cleaned up by the police a few weeks ago.

Our conversation then turned to a friend of hers who was trying to help a homeless person get shots and neutering services for a Pit Bull puppy she found.

After my rounds I sent Sarah information on free clinics in March and contact information for Liana Moss at PACC who helps run the homeless outreach program.

On my way back from delivering our donations to PACC today, I turned on Fremont, drove to the curve on 12^th and stopped. It didn’t take me long to spot the encampment. It was a massive mess of bikes, tarps and furniture about 75 yards across the drainage ditch.  

The red arrow in the photo indicates the location of the homeless

encampment. Even at 75 years, one can see the magnitude of

the mess.

From my experience years ago with homeless camps in the arroyo, I knew one has to call the police to force folks to leave. Soon after I arrived home I sent Sarah another email asking if she or someone else contacted the police. Nope, and she would appreciate it if I made the call. She closed with “Thank you for your vigilante, Sarah.”

Two minutes later Sarah sent another email saying, “Oops, Vigilance!”

Got the joke, but I realize folks are often hesitant to step up and face that confrontational tension. I experience that same uncertain feeling every time I have to confront an issue. But to tell you the truth, I dislike even more how I feel when folks mess with my neighborhood.

Closeup of the homeless encampment that appeared about

4 days ago.

After lunch I called the police. Had to tell my story three times and identify myself three times to three different people … two police personnel and one City staffer.

The 911 operator passed me over to the non-emergency desk. She took down all the information and located the encampment on a map. Then I was transferred to Tucson Customer Service (520) 791-3202. This is where the whole process came together for me.

If there is just a mess, I can do what I always do. Take a photograph and send the information to Pat Tapia at Environmental Services. If there are homeless folks involved I have to start with the police. But it would be very helpful if I take photographs and send them to Pat who is part of the team in these situations.

In our many conversations, Pat told me that the Environmental Services Department and the Tucson Police Department know for sure that “a clean neighborhood is a safe neighborhood.” That’s a fact but I didn’t see the actual connection of the two departments … until now.

This week’s donation was 305.1 lbs. of pet food and $11.00 in cash and one check. In addition, there were 2 bags of treats, 1 roll of bags, 1 small diaper, and 17 pill bottles. (Special note: dog food is in the large white bags.)

See you Sunday,

Peter 

Week 77 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

“Stand Down”

Liana Moss, Community Outreach Specialist rolls our

284 pound pet food donation into PACC on Monday. 

Troops in a state of readiness are told to stand down when there is “a temporary cessation of offensive actions; cease-fire; truce: a stand-down for the Christmas holidays. a work stoppage or layoff.” In other words, it’s a much needed break for food and rest in a safe place.

Many charitable groups such as PACC use the term stand down to provide special services to veterans, particularly the homeless.

On Wednesday, February 19^th, I got an email from Shari Mollencopf at PACC updating us on their Homeless Vet outreach program.

“Thank you so much for the donation. On March 11 through the 13th we will be handing out food to homeless vets so it differently will be put to good use.

The Stand Down for Vets will be at the Grand Luxe hotel on Grant if you would like to drop by and see us in action. The event is from 10 to 2 each day. 

Just a thought, we have a great deal of cat food but dog food is what we use the most of. If it's possible can you stop the cat food for a while and just do dog food.

Thank you.

Shari”

Although the work is quite serious at PACC they still

have time for fun and smiles. Liana is pretending to 

cross the shadow finish line to win the race to feed

the pets of the homeless vets. 

At Shari’s request we donated mostly dog food this week. We will continue to do so until told otherwise.

This week’s donation was 284.2 lbs. of pet food and $25.00 in checks. In addition, there were 2 Bully treat bags, 2 roll bags, 4 small diapers, 5 absorbent pads and 5 pill bottles. As an aside, notice the blooming African Daisies of the left. That’s a good thing, too.

See you Sunday,

Peter 

Week 76 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Welcoming Gift in Reverse

That massive thorny Mesquite tree on the corner of 13^th and Cherry always disturbed me when I’d walk by with my pups.

Its ugliness took up the whole sidewalk. Twice I reported the property to Code Enforcement over the last three years but nothing happened. Then the vacant duplex was put on the market. That was the first sign that something good may be on the horizon.

A few months later a “Sold” sign appeared on the bottom of the larger listing sign. Then new front doors with shiny numbers replaced the old doors. Those old doors were cut up and placed in the dumpster. Another good sign.

As I drove by the duplex on my rounds this past Sunday, I noticed a pickup truck parked in the driveway. When I backed up, I saw the real estate security lock opened indicating a principle was on sight. Chris was there to do repairs and he was the new owner, too. I welcomed him to the neighborhood and told him about the free cleanup services and how safe our Miles neighborhood is. He told me he loves Tucson and has two kids at the U of A and two in high school.  

Chris is also a developer/contractor and lives near the Arizona Inn so he will be around. As a welcoming gift, I offered to cut down that Mesquite tree and he approved. That was the best sign.

On my walk with my pups Monday morning I planned to study the Mesquite to determine the best approach to dismantle that thorny mess. A large truck was parked near the curb so we had to walk around to approach the tree.

It was gone.

Some kind of thorn eating machine grabbed that thing, held it up and the branches were cut by somebody. The ground on both sides of the sidewalk was pretty torn up, too. 

I thought, "What a great way to introduce yourself to a new neighborhood." Chris took the initiative and gave us a welcoming gift. Can’t wait to see what he does next to enhance that corner. In the meantime, if you see a metallic blue pickup in the driveway, stop by and introduce yourself to Chris. Show him we care about folks, especially when they care about our sidewalks.

This week’s donation was 278.6 lbs. of pet food and a $10.00 check. In addition, there were 2 Pooch Pads, 122 gal. Zip bags, 110 qt. Zip bags, 1 treat chew, 1 cat collar, 6 pill bottles and 2 rolls of plastic bags.

See you Sunday,

Peter 

Week 75 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

In the middle of our last cold snap a couple of day ago, Shari at PACC handed out 240 lbs. of dog food and 60 bags of treats. Her photos made me sad but so glad you are helping me feed hundreds of homeless pets in need. Helping Shari and Liana do this important work keeps me very motivated. Bet you feel the same.

A little pup was worried but curious about what was going on.

Then she smelled the food and she was all in.

On a lighter note…

When my Surface comes out of sleep mode, Microsoft displays a beautiful Spotlight photo that helps me focus immediately. Captivating images of bridges, mountains, meadows, really fun stuff to look at. But they outdid themselves with this photograph.

An American Pika in Colorado near Loveland Pass. Need I say more?

This week’s donation was 259.5 lbs. of pet food and $11.00 in cash and one check. In addition there were 3 pill bottles and 2 rolls of plastic bags.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 74 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

There Is a Reason Why You Are Seeing

So Many Homeless Folks on Our Streets

In late December, the federal government released figures showing that the U.S. homeless rate increased 2.7% over 2019 because of the housing crisis in California. Turns out that California’s homeless rate increased a whopping 16.4% in the same time period “even though voters approved a $4 billion affordable housing bond more than a year ago, and Los Angeles passed its own $1.2 billion housing bond in 2016.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hud-estimates-2-7-percent-rise-u-s-homelessness-due-n1106061

So what’s the problem if there is lots of money for affordable housing? Two words … neighborhood opposition. Oh, and very high housing costs in cities like San Francisco that incidentally passed their own $600 million bond for affordable housing.

Now you know why I am excited about the PACC Outreach Program for homeless companion pets. PACC realized homeless folks need their pets to stay connected and those pets need our food to stay healthy and happy.

Yes, we have to wait for affordable housing because humans have a real hard time being human. Fortunately, we have PACC leading the way to the next best solution.

Got a great email from Shari Mollencopf, who runs the PACC Outreach Program along with Liana Moss. She wrote:

“Thank you for all your hard work in getting donations for the outreach program. We will be bagging food and treats today to take to the homeless working the gem show. This is a huge demand this time of year and your support is truly a blessing…

…One thing that we always need are Ziploc bags,  both gallon and quart size.

Thank you again for all you do.

Shari.”

This week’s donation was 253.8 lbs. of pet food and $25.00 in cash and two checks. In the photo above notice the boxes of “tab locked” baggies Shari requested in her email. That should held them until next week.

We also donated 4 pill bottles and 1 roll of poop bags.

See you Sunday,

Peter