Ahhhhh, Summer! Great food, sunny days, ice cream, picnics with family, and playing with your dogs in the park. We love summer and this week’s volunteer activity brought everything that we enjoy together at one time in one place. That place was Shoaff Park and the event was The Summer Pup-nic and Ice Cream Social benefitting the Fort Wayne Pet Food Pantry.
The Fort Wayne Pet Food Pantry’s mission is to keep pets at home with their families. They provide pet food at no cost to pet owners who are struggling to feed their pets. The inability to provide food leads individuals and families to surrender their beloved animals to local shelters. Over the course of time, shelters become overcrowded and many animals are euthanized. Not only does the FWPFP save the lives of animals, but they also reduce the stresses of not being able to provide for your pet while preserving the loving relationships that exist.
This was the first year for the Summer Pup-nic. The event featured raffle prizes, vendors, food trucks, face-painting and games for kids, animal caricatures, and much more. We spent our time working in two different areas. First, we manned a few of the games in the children’s area. Do you remember Bozo the Clown’s Grand Prize Game (Maybe one of the greatest games ever)? How about ring toss? Sure you do. We ran the games (using our best carnie voices), interacted with the children, and handed out a lot of prizes. Second, we acted as judges for the different pet contests. Erica and the girls enjoyed picking the winners of competitions like The Biggest Pet, The Smallest Pet, Biggest Shedder, and Best Pet Trick. An easy, but extremely fun, volunteer activity.
We enjoyed this week’s experience. The Fort Wayne Pet Food Pantry is one of our favorite organizations. Let me tell give you three reasons why. First, Pam Tracy (founder), the staff, and the volunteers are a real pleasure to work with. They value us, they value our time, and it is obvious how much they appreciate our help. Second, the organization is very family friendly. They offer volunteer opportunities for families with children of all ages. There are many organizations that do not. We regularly recommend the FWPFP to families who are looking for ways to serve. Third, we truly believe in the mission. We want to see pets stay at home with their families. We want fewer animals in shelters which will lead to a lower number of deaths each year. We are avid supporters of this organization and we encourage you to become one too. Donate some pet food, help out at a food distribution, or judge a contest at the Pup-nic. It doesn’t matter. Just get involved and help provide food for a pet in our community.
impact52.org 