“In order to empathize with someone’s experience, you must be willing to believe them as they see it and not how you imagine their experience to be.”
- Brene Brown
This quote came to me via a Facebook post from a friend. It was a reminder to me that when speaking with a homeless person, whose loving pet is injured or ill, I believe the distress in their voices.
However, due to a few bad actors that have taken advantage of our kindness, we have to verify homelessness before we can help. We owe that to our clients, the homeless population, that truly need our help and to our donors who believe in our mission to help the pets of the homeless.
Many of our clients have lost their homes due to evictions, foreclosures, overcrowding lease violations, a spouse overseas or incarcerated, national disasters, and red tape bureaucracy. Many have a mental illness, addictions, inadequate wages, debt, car troubles, repo, no transportation, theft, lack of bank access, debt collections, chronic illness, disabilities, no access to care or meds, unplanned pregnancy, generational poverty, divorce, race discrimination, no insurance, age out of foster care, lack of support, sex trafficking, lack of internet/computer, tickets, fines, prison record, domestic violence, and the list goes on . . .
We have a team of caring staff that we pay well, mentor, challenge, promote, involve, appreciate, trust, empower and value. Every day I am thankful for them and the other teams of specialists that make our mission a reality. A mission to help pets of the homeless to be free of hunger or pain from an illness or injury.
Our “Give a Dog a Bone” pet food drive is starting soon. Watch for local businesses and hospitals in your community to announce their participation.
If you have it in your heart to help, we thank you and appreciate your donations of pet food and supplies or a monetary gift.
With gratitude,
Genevieve Frederick
President and Founder
Feeding Pets of the Homeless®
