It’s time once again for an update from our charitable wing, The Dr. Jane Foundation. This month, we’re excited to share news of another financial award to an amazing group of caregivers based in Highland, MI. Founded in late 2004, Community Sharing is an outreach organization that provides support and food assistance to hundreds of families and their dogs. [more]
Unlike the majority of our grant recipients, this caring non-profit is not a rescue shelter or a foster network. That being said, their efforts not only ensure the survival of dogs and cats, but their happiness as well. In addition to pet food and care products, Community Sharing provides people with clothing, school tutoring, GED completion aid, budgeting assistance, employment counseling and much more. This full-scale support makes it possible for families in desperate need to stay together. And for many of their families, that certainly means keeping their dogs at home, where they belong.
Doing their level best to keep up with the needs of their community, this agency has seen first-hand the emotional wreckage of surrendering a companion animal. For individuals without close family, who only share their home with a dog, the mere prospect of losing their dog due to financial hardship is heartbreaking enough, and can be a real source of chronic stress. But thanks to Community Sharing’s diligence and caring, the stress can be relieved, and these relationships maintained. It’s just another way this group aids their clients and helps them to deal with life’s challenges.
The vast majority of their aid recipients include the recently unemployed and the working poor. The number of clients who come to Community Sharing each month fluctuates, so the number of families with dogs they feed varies from month to month. Overseen by a board of 14 members and operated by a several dozen volunteers, Community Sharing provides support to hundreds of families and individuals every month. Through their Client Choice Food Pantry, they provide individuals and dogs with enough food for 20 days per month. In just over a decade of service, nearly 200,000 meals have been provided!
In an average month, they serve 142 pet families with a total of 345 pets every month ... altogether, that’s 158 dogs and 187 cats who benefit from Community Sharing’s food assistance programs!
Thanks to the generous support of others, their supply of dog food was already well-stocked for this time of year. Therefore, our entire financial award went towards feeding cats. Our most recent round of funding will provide four months’ worth of meals for all 187 cats currently living with Community Sharing families.
Upon learning about April’s financial assistance from The Dr. Jane Foundation, Grant Manager Linda Anderson said, “We are thrilled with this award and will judiciously use these funds to buy and provide food for our client’s pets.” She added, “Without support like this, clients would not be able to keep and feed their dogs.”
From all of us here at Life’s Abundance headquarters, we deeply appreciate and respect the extraordinary example this committed network of rescuers sets for all Americans … extending helping hands to neighbors in need. Along with our financial award, we’d like to convey our heartfelt thanks to Community Sharing for doing their utmost to make the world a kinder, gentler place for people and dogs alike.
And we thank all readers and customers … through your personal donations and continued patronage, you’ve helped make all of our grants possible. Your generosity and loyalty have helped to make the world a better place for abandoned, abused and neglected animals across America.
And there’s more good news … we are still accepting applications for 2015 funding. If you know of an animal rescue organization that deserves special recognition and financial support, please encourage them to fill out an application. Download here.
Check back next month for more good news from The Dr. Jane Foundation. Together, we’re making a difference!