April 14th, 2010
Let’s declare today Dog Food Action Day. Imagine the good we could do, the worry we could relieve, and the impact we could have … if everyone reading this Dog Food Dish post donated dog food or cat food to their local community action center or food bank.
You see, I spent the weekend at the first-ever BlogPaws conference. A whole slew of pet bloggers and social media addicts converged in Columbus, Ohio, to learn, share, and spur each other onto greatness. (It was great to see Dr. Janet Tobiassen Crosby and Anthony & Kate Holloway there too.)
I was one of two lucky winners of an all-expenses-paid trip to the event. I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity granted by my fairy blogmothers from Romeo The Cat and Scratchings and Sniffings. They founded the whole BlogPaws movement, which now challenges us all to Be The Change.
BlogPaws: Be The Change
Lynn Haigh (famous for @frugaldougal and the Twitter PawPawty), Dr V from PawCurious (famous for eating pet food to raise money for charity), and Dorian Wagner from YourDailyCute (famous for bringing the awww-factor to daily life) teamed up under moderator Jane Harrell from Petfinder to inspire others into action on behalf of the pets around the world who need our help.
This video, which pretty much made everyone cry, says it all:
So, in answer to the question… What will you do to be the change?
I came up with this idea to help families in need, who already share their lives with pets.
Certainly, any shelter, humane society, or animal rescue could use food donations year round, but what about those pets who are already in homes and whose families could use our help?
Local Help Rocks!
For example, in my community in Jefferson County, Colorado, there is a service group called the Jeffco Action Center. Staff and volunteers there do many things for people in need, including distributing food each week. People often ask about dog and cat food when they arrive.
So, that’s where my Dog Food Action Day donation will go.
To find a similar organization in your community, try using the search function on the Community Action Partnership site. You could also call your local human services agency or local food bank.
I double checked with Dog Food Dish sponsor Anthony Holloway, CEO of K9Cuisine.com, and he confirms that his team can drop-ship food to any address in the U.S. lower 48 states. So, if you’re short on time, why not buy food online and have it shipped.
Pet Bloggers in Action
The entire pet blogger community is gearing up for their own Be the Change efforts. BlogPaws declared this Friday, April 16, an official Be the Change blog post day.
The Be the Change BlogPawty is also set for is April 21-22, 7 pm-1 am EST.
If, like me, you’ve never attended an online party, check out this how to info. I hear it takes some getting used to.
Report Your Action
Please post here and let us know how you’re taking part in Dog Food Action Day so that we can measure our impact and celebrate.
If it goes well, maybe we could repeat the donations once a month. (She said, optimistically.)
Related Posts
Tags: Be the Change, BlogPaws, Dog Food Action Day, Dog Food Dish, pet bloggers
Posted in Dog Food News, K9 Nutrition | 20 Comments »
20 Responses to “Dog Food Action Day”
A professional writer based in Colorado, Roxanne Hawn doesn't just love dogs. She deep-down requires them in life. Something inside her genes, perhaps? That's why it's such a joy to write about all things canine. Roxanne began writing about pets in 1995, when she worked for the American Animal Hospital Association and later for the American Humane Association. During this period in her career, Roxanne served on the board of directors for the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (a coalition of animal welfare groups). Roxanne also volunteered for many years at an animal shelter, where she witnessed firsthand what happens when the human-animal bond breaks or never forms.
“Dog Food Action Day” is a win win all around. A simple and effortless action like this can only benefit animals, community organizations and us the contributors. Thank you Roxanne! Cheers!
Thanks, Christine. You know, even the “hard” things aren’t all that hard. This summer we held a “fresh food drive” at our local farmer’s market. They always talk about non-perishable food, but in our community the food goes in and OUT so fast these days. So, we made special arrangements for them to accept fresh fruits and vegetables for that one weekend … to raise awareness. People were so generous it made me all weepy.
This is a great initiative, Roxanne! Anthony is a very humble person, so I’m sure he didn’t tell you that he donated 5,000 pounds of pet food to the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City this week! There will be more on my blog, Rescue Me, on Friday about how that food was put to good use!
He also sent 2 huge pallets of food- several thousand pounds- to San Diego earlier this year for the Humane Society of Tijuana, donating not only the food but the shipping.
Anthony really encapsulates the spirit of “Be the Change.”
Thanks, Kerri & Dr. V for letting everyone know about Anthony’s generous efforts.
Wonderful! I know our local shelter needs food donations regularly and also – my mother-in-law works at a food pantry in her chuch and they accept pet food donations there and say they go very quickly.
That’s so true! And, we know from that recent case in the news with that veteran who needs to buy food for his service dog that pet food CANNOT be purchased using food stamps.
I know people with cats who have started feeding raw and/or human food because they CAN buy it with assistance.
What a great idea! I have tons of cat food in my closet that my cats don’t eat because they’re little fatties. I should donate that to the shelter.
What a great idea, Roxanne. I can’t think of a worthier local cause.
Thanks so much, Ruth. I hope local food banks see visible results.
How good of you to point this out! You are so right. I’m going to think on this and see if I can come up with a way to motivate neighbors to donate dog food.
Great idea, Roxanne! I have donated to our local shelter, and they have a “community pet food bank” for people who are struggling to feed their pets. Food is free of charge and helps families keep the pets in their homes and out of shelters.
Also, at my PetsMart, the Partners for Pets adoption group will accept food – both purchased in the store and food already opened (as in the case of a type of food my dog wasn’t so hot on).
Lots of ways to donate!
This is such a great idea. I know that our animal shelter always needs old towels, pillows, etc. so if anyone is doing some spring cleaning, they can donate those items along with the food. I know our local shelter has a list on their website detailing what they need.
[...] Dog Food Action Day by Roxanne Hawn Share with your peeps: [...]
I absolutely love this idea! So often people think they don’t have the time to help a shelter or rescue but this is a great example of how they can easily (and honestly, cheaply) help animals in need. I say that because if everyone could donate just one bag of food, the impact would be unimaginable! It’s just like Jo (@informedferret) who donated her $500 Del Monte Meow Mix donation to the feral group we work with! (http://iloverescueanimals.org/2010/04/blogpaws-part-2-our-blogpaws-angel/) Isn’t it wonderful to see #BeTheChange in action? ^_^
Thanks so much. It really is an easy thing to do and make a real difference. For me, and a lot of people, having a clear impact on a specific family is very empowering.
[...] to use my blogs to Be the Change began Wednesday over on my Dog Food Dish blog, where I proclaimed Dog Food Action Day and encouraged people to donate pet food to local community action centers or food banks. Shelters [...]
I know that Anthony also donated tons of dog food after Hurricane Ike, and I believe that some went to Mexico too to help a veterinarian who spays and neuters in the country. I really appreciate this post, Roxanne, and the responses have generated a lot of encouraging and helpful information as well. One thing my family and I do is that whenever we see a homeless person on the street with a dog, we give him/her food — human food for her and dog food for the dog. We never hand over cash. My husband taught me to do this — give food instead of money and of course, don’t forget the dog if there is one.
@Christine is so right…this is a win-win all around. Such a great thing, Roxanne!
[...] Promoting donations of pet food to community food banks or animal shelters/rescues via Dog Food Action Day is an idea with which I suspect few people would [...]