Week 12 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

We now have an official Rescued Critters

collection route for the Miles Neighborhood.

With so many cans of Pumpkin, it must be the holiday season - Haley had her Cherry Eye fixed last Tuesday so she is still encumbered a bit by the cone. However, she did have the energy to focus on the most important item on the table. Money to feed her friends at PACC.

It took 12 weeks, but I finally got around to every street in the neighbor and the donation results this Sunday were remarkable. Something we can look forward to each Sunday from now on as we chase our goal of 2.2 tons of donated food for the Pima Animal Care Center.

We collected 14.1 lbs. of dog and cat food and $87.50 in cash this week. To achieve our goal, we have to donate an average of $83.00 per week. Of course, the two variables affecting our success are, the number of folks home on Sunday and the number who donate more than $1.00. Just a dollar makes the whole process very competitive when one adds in the donated food.

During the One Can A Week years, I used to say there were approximately 200 homes in the Miles Neighborhood. Just this week I checked out Pima Maps, and learned that there are actually 257 homes. With rentals accounting for one half of the homes, there are about 128 family-owned properties. Also, lots of those rentals are students who are so busy with their studies —coupled with a lack of community identity—they generally don’t participate in community activities.

The good news is we now have 55 participants, signing up four more this past weekend. And too, there are still a few folks to see because they haven’t been home when I showed up.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 11 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

PACC pays less for pet food and you can, too.

Took nearly 50 photos to capture this one cute shot. Most of

the time Haley and Cody were milling around in the very sturdy

Chewy box until I said, "Hey," ... very loudly.

You’ve seen the commercials. Chewy.com saves money on all kinds of pet food including Hill’s Science Diet Prescription. The other savings include time not wasted going to the pet food store. Or going to another pet food store when the product you want is sold out. There’s also gas involved and the frustration of having to hurry up because you forgot to pick up food on your last trip to the supermarket.

Last Thursday, I placed an order at 12.53 pm and was expecting delivery two days later. To my delight my order of two 16 lb. bags of cat food and one 11 lb. bag of dog food arrived on my porch at 11:15 Friday morning. Good heavens, less than 24 hours.

After a little research I learned that Chewy.com has an 800,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Goodyear, AZ, a suburb of Phoenix. (Click on the link to view an informative news video.)

This means we Arizonians can be pet food forgetful and still expect one day delivery because Chewy is a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week operation.

Of course, I had to change my thinking when I switched to Chewy.com. I have small dogs so I bought small 4 lb. bags. When I saw that everyone who tries Chewy.com gets a 15% discount on the first order, I gave it a shot.

I saved nearly $15,00 and was quite happy. My next order I saved not-so-much, but I was getting into the great feeling of not having to lug that 16 lb. bag of cat food around the supermarket every other week.

Now my strategy is to forget about the small bags and buy larger quantities that last longer. When I cross the $50 mark, the shipping is free so I save again. And when my order is delivered the next day, I start thinking about what else I can buy because getting it so fast is such a consumer high.

Chewy.com has great prices but be sure to check the unit cost. Sometimes the really big bags are not the best buy.

So, place an order with Chewy.com and then the next day, go sit on your porch and wait for UPS. That is just so cool!

So Many Ways to Help PACC and All the Rescued Critters Here in Tucson

Over the past 11 weeks, we have donated money, blankets, a dog pen, industrial Swiper pads, food bowls, leashes and pet food, of course, to PACC. When one of my clients gave me a nearly-new HP 8610 4-in-1 Laser Ink Jet printer to dispose of, I thought about approaching my neighbors, Christina and Blake. They recently bought a printer so I had to think of someone else. Then PACC popped into my brain.

Bennett, my contact at PACC said he would have to check with the Office Administrator because they are a state organization, not a 501.3c. They have different regulations to follow.

Within a day, Bennett got back to me and said they would be delighted to accept the printer. Around 3 pm I delivered the printer and the staff was all smiles.

Two days later Bennett got back to me and said in an email, “I’m glad the staff was so friendly when you came. Thanks again for the printer; it’s going to be incredibly helpful.”

This is a lesson for all of us. If we run across nearly-new office equipment we plan to give away, think of PACC first. Just tell me what you have to offer and I’ll contact Bennett for you.

Best Week Ever for Pet Food

This week’s donation amounted to 22.39 lbs. of dog and cat food. The cash totaled $34.65.

In addition, we signed up four more participants which means 51 Miles neighbors are now helping feed lots of Rescued Critters.

See you Sunday,

Peter  

Week 10 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

How a small can of cat food on a truck seat got to the

 Pima Animal Care Center.

Every can and every penny donated on Sunday to
Rescued Critters Food Drive is delivered to the
Pima Animal Care Center on Monday.

Neighbors now and again leave cans or bags of food on or in my pickup truck when I am not around. They did it a lot during our One Can A Week days. Late last week, I found a 3 ounce can of cat food on my bench seat. I like such surprises because it means folks trust that even the smallest donation will end up in a bowl at Pima Animal Care Center. And they are right.

That little can gave me the idea for this week’s blog post. Everybody who donates to Rescued Critters Food Drive should know the whole process of donating food, supplies and money to PACC.

When I finish my Sunday rounds, I gather all the donations on my large work bench on my porch. Then I count and enter all the cash and checks on the Inventory Sheet. Next I group the canned dog and cat food. This makes it easy to note the number of cans with the same weight. (See Inventory Sheet below.)

Generally, folks making donations fill out the PACC In-Kind Donation Form at PACC.I fill out the form at home to expedite the process. I can tell the staff likes this efficiency,

The money is tallied separately using a PACC Computer Receipt. I never tell the staff member the total until he or she is about to issue the receipt. Them I’m told the amount about to be entered. To date, the totals we donated matched exactly. At this point, we both say, “Yes!”

Besides explaining the process, I would like to invite all my neighbors to ride along with me on Sunday to see how the collection is done. (Of course, not all at once … my truck is a bit small.) And too, you can also come with me to PACC on Monday to deliver the donation. This is our community service project and I would like everyone to feel totally involved. 

First, the food is taken to the back.

Next, the money and checks are counted.

Donation Inventory Sheet

In-Kind Donation Form

PACC Cash Receipt 

The small can of cat food is to the right of the two small

stacked cat food cans just behind the money.

Even Cody was taken with Haley's Yoda Impression

This week's donation amounted to 16.1 lbs. of dog and cat food. The cash totaled $43.80. 

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 9 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

In Just 9 Weeks, We've Reached 24%

of Our Goal

To date we have donated $827.79 to PACC which—at $0.90 a pound—converts to 919.8 lbs. of pet food. Add in the actual pet food we donated, (105.4 lbs.) and the total comes to 1,025.1 lbs.

Another astonishing fact is I have only covered about 60% of the neighborhood. This past Sunday four more participants signed up. So there are many more participants waiting in the wings. When I finally get around to seeing all my neighbors, the totals should really soar.

Thanks for helping me feed the Rescued Critters at PACC, and for being so generous.

Both Haley and Cody Get Involved in Totaling Donations

Haley likes to check out everything, at least a couple of time. On the other hand, Cody thinks it’s a bit of an intrusion of his favorite space.

This week three large blankets were donated along with 16.7 lbs. of pet food. Also, there was $68.55 in cash.

See you Sunday,

Peter

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