He beat her so she wears boots now, they used to be heels. We met close to the shelter she was staying in. The shelter, like they have done many times before, referred this proud woman to The Pongo Fund for cat food for the last friend in her life she could count on. What that man did hurt her in more ways than she could put into words, including the loss of her job. Unable to feed her kitty friend crushed her; she said she felt worthless. And that’s why, hard as it was, she asked for the food. She missed the heels, but said matter-of-factly that you can’t run fast enough in heels. Fast enough? As in, fast enough to get away.

So she left it all behind, just her and her cat and a handful of other things and then into the car to drive away for the last time. It was her car, he could not take that. It was her cat, he could not take that. And it was her life, and there was no way he was going to get that. She had everything she needed; the heels were no longer necessary. The boots were best, she said, they were solid and warm and protected her; looking down at them to reconfirm her choice. And she said if she kicked someone, they would never forget it. Her cat, happily cocooned into a blanket in his carrier, sat next to her boots, looking at them too. He purred in agreement.

Despite everything they’d been through, more and more victims of domestic violence turn to The Pongo Fund for help. They carry bruises both inside and out, but it seems that their animals are the best medicine. And we are honored to help. Because by helping one, we know we’re helping both.

Today is Saturday November 26, 2016. This is the Giving Season and all donations via our Give Guide page are being doubled. We don’t have a development or fundraising team, there’s no big office filled with employees. It’s just us. And that’s why we need you. Because we’re all in this together. Tens of thousands count on us, we hope you will help. Please click the secure link here to give: https://giveguide.org/#thepongofund%20 .

A special thank you to the woman who put together some care packages for us to use in these very situations. You told us you knew what it was like to leave with nothing, and how you found yourself wishing for some of the most basic things; deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, a good hairbrush that did not lose all its bristles when you used it. There were more things too, and you put them into plastic bags and asked me to provide them when the time was right. You told me to trust your judgment, even if I did not understand the reason for everything included. Thank you for doing that. This woman received the last bag, and she was truly thankful.

And this is why we Pongo.

Sit. Stay. Eat. Live. thepongofund.org

***The Pongo Fund is Oregon’s Pet Food Bank. Because hungry people have hungry pets. Our award winning and volunteer driven group helps more animals than any other group in Oregon by providing high quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy and out of the shelters. 90,000 animals helped; 9,000,000 healthy meals provided. We would be honored if you SHARE this post so that others will also know of our good work***

(Photo of boots is a stock image, out of respect we did not photograph the woman, her cat or her boots)