The San Francisco Giants are partly responsible for a popular new program at the Fort Bragg Food Bank — sweaters for dogs.
Long time Food Bank volunteer Nancy Milano has crocheted about 100 doggie coats, which have been given away to Food Bank clients by Second Chance Rescue. She made many while watching her favorite baseball team attain those thrilling highs and heartbreaking lows the world champs put fans through this spring and summer.
Some were even orange.
Milano often gets a thrill when she sees one of her sweaters bouncing down the street on a little dog, although she doesn”t tell the owners where the coat came from.
Other volunteers have joined in (more are needed), turning the “Callie Coats” program into a coveted shopping moment for many this fall and winter, with owners of small dogs browsing the mutli-colored coats along with their shivering Chihuahua”s, haughty poodles or chugging mini-boxers. About 250 coats, some purchased by Second Chance have been given away.
“We do not keep a waiting list; it”s first-come, first-served with what we have on hand at our monthly Food Bank days,” said Steve Sapontzis, who founded Second Chance with Jeanne Gocker. This Thanksgiving marked the third anniversary of Second Chance providing weekly supplies to the families of Food Bank clients.
Second Chance supplies food, sweaters, collars, leashes and Front Line flea and tick treatments, to long lines of people every month. Some Food Bank clients have no houses; others who have no car or drive cars that barely run, but almost everybody seems to have a companion animal. These animals are often better cared for than the cars and better fed than the persons themselves.
These clients love the coats provided by Second Chance, but do dogs?
“Dogs with thick natural coats, from Pomeranians to collies, ordinarily don”t need sweaters. Dogs with short hair, especially if they”re also small, benefit from having a sweater,” said Sapontzis.
Most of the big and small dogs getting coats don”t try to pull them off and seem perky and proud — of at least the attention they are getting.
Callie”s Coats is just one of several busy non-food programs at the Food Bank this holiday season. The South Franklin office lobby is now often crowded with clients trying on coats (for people) donated by local individuals and businesses.
“Warm clothing is greatly appreciated by clients during the cold weather. They don”t stay on the rack for long,” said Food Bank Executive Director Nancy Severy.
The busiest week of the year, Thanksgiving, was surprisingly successful in meeting the need. The Food Bank gave out 730 turkey dinners, which was exactly how many they had on hand. “It worked out perfectly. We gave out the very last turkey to our very last customer who straggled in at 5:28 p.m. on Wednesday — two minutes before closing time. Miracles do happen,” said Severy.
The new Tofurkey option for vegetarians didn”t work out so seamlessly.
“We waited too late and only were able to buy four. They all were taken. We”ll plan ahead next time for Christmas,” said Severy.
Christmas preparations are now in full swing. Milano plays the Christmas elf ever year, across from Tony Anderson”s Santa. The Food Bank has gotten started on building about 600 special Christmas meals.
“We”ll have some combination of turkeys, roaster chickens and hams. People seem to like the variety and choice. Some seniors and single people appreciate being able to have a smaller piece of meat. A great big old turkey is too much for some,” said Severy.
“We”re just starting to stock up for the Christmas holiday meal bags. We need similar items to thanksgiving: poultry stuffing, pie filling, gravy, chicken broth, canned vegetables, flour, sugar, hot chocolate, evaporated milk — anything that goes with a complete holiday meal; maybe even some candy canes for the kids,” said Severy.
The Turkey Challenge, in which local businesses match turkey donations, is a big part of the Food Bank”s ability to put meals on the tables of the needy.
“We are so grateful for this community effort, which was initiated by Dwain Ray years ago and is being carried on by local businesses and community members. It makes it possible that no local family in need goes without on the holidays,” Severy said.
For pets, Christmas is also a special time for most Food Bank Clients. Milano plans to crochet a few holiday-themed coats.
“We”ll be back at the Food bank on Friday, Dec. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We”ll have Frontline treatments, collars, leashes, and sweaters, treats and toys for the dog, and free Santa Claus photos,” Sapontzis said.
More than 145 dogs get treated each month. The program costs Second Chance $750 per month.
Second Chance programs cost $60,000 per year, more than half of that goes toward helping sick and injured dogs get seen by a veterinarian. Donations go directly and entirely to help needy dogs on the coast, Sapontzis said.
Second Chance provides over 250 pounds a week of dog food to the Food Bank and about another 50 pounds of dog food to the Lighthouse Church in Fort Bragg and another 50 pounds to St. Anthony”s in Willits.
Second Chance is only for dogs. Local supermarkets also donate dog and some cat food, but cat food often runs low at the Food Bank. The Eileen Hawthorne fund also donates pet foods.
Season of Sharing
This series goes hand in glove with the Advocate-News and The Mendocino Beacon”s annual Season of Sharing fund drive for the Food Bank. The goal is to give the Food Bank money it can use year-round, not just during the holidays.
The nonprofit Community Foundation of Mendocino County administers the Season of Sharing free of charge as a courtesy to the newspapers.
Every cent taken in by the newspapers goes to the Food Bank.
Checks should be addressed to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County (CFMC), and mailed to newspaper at P.O. Box 1188, Fort Bragg, 95437, or dropped off at 450 N. Franklin St.
If you have any questions, call us at 964-5642. The fundraiser runs through Dec. 31.
Donors” names are printed each week, unless you ask to remain anonymous. This week”s donors are Ronald and Susan Munson, Fremont DeArmond and the Lillian Cartwright Family Trust.
The total amount raised so far comes to $500.
