Other Ways to Help Critters

 These are just a few more ways to help critters, with and without budget constraints; 

Ideas 

Ways to give that help save lives

You can make a gift to homeless pets in a number of ways. You can create a personal fundraiser, become a Golden Circle member, make a stock donation and more.

GOLDEN CIRCLE

Golden Circle members are among the most devoted and loyal supporters of Best Friends and our mission. Through annual donations of $1,000 or more, a Golden Circle member provides the critical resources necessary to support and expand Best Friends’ programs throughout the country.

MAKE A PLANNED GIFT

By making a gift to Best Friends Animal Society through your will, trust or other financial plan, you can help Save Them All now and well into the future.

DONATE APPRECIATED STOCK, BONDS OR MUTUAL FUNDS

A donation of stock is a powerful and easy way to help the animals and in doing so, you’ll receive a significant tax break.

MAKE A DONOR-ADVISED FUND GIFT

Give a gift from your donor-advised fund to help improve the lives of homeless animals.

VEHICLE DONATION

Do you have an old car, boat, plane or other vehicle? Donate it to Best Friends through our trusted vehicle donation partner, CARS, for an easy way to help the animals.

CREATE A FUNDRAISER

Celebrate the important events, people and pets in your life by helping to Save Them All. It’s quick and easy to create your own personal fundraising page to generate donations for the animals of Best Friends. 

STRUT YOUR MUTT

When you participate in Strut Your Mutt, you can choose to support and raise funds for Best Friends Animal Society or your favorite local participating animal welfare organization. 

AMAZONSMILE

Shop on AmazonSmile and Amazon will donate to Best Friends. You can shop for jewelry, books, electronics or anything else you desire. Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Best Friends or another charity of your choice.

WISH LIST

On any given day, there are about 1,600 dogs, cats and other animals living at the Sanctuary. We regularly ask our furry and feathered friends what items would most help them enjoy their lives here at Best Friends. You can help by purchasing items from their wish list.

WORKPLACE GIVING

Donating through your employer’s workplace giving campaign is a simple way to help homeless pets. Many companies will even match your donation, doubling or tripling the impact of your gift. 

DONATE CRYPTOCURRENCY

Your cryptocurrency donation can help homeless pets in need.

Shocked!

 There is a YouTube video of celebrations on Rodeo Drive in California. 

Like the old days. Santas, elves, stores open, obligatory glitter, and occasional masks. 

I’m shocked! No riots in sight!?!

Here at home, lights are up and traffic is back. 

As an essential worker, I had roads, streets and freeways to myself. 

Cars returned to the roads slowly but surely. 

Holiday traffic is back full-force! No room for wheelies now. 

Please drive safely everyone! 

Pets, books, candy

 Pets, books, and candy. 

Not at all sure that these 3 things have anything in common except this blog! 

This blog was started as a contact page for my candy route customers. 

I added a ‘books’ tab because I’ve always wanted a bookstore, the kind u see with the offices or apartments on the floors above them, local and friendly. Since I’d been selling books on eBay since 2000, I merged an information page about it onto this blog. 

I don’t really have time to list books anymore, much less read them, and I can’t review stores anymore either. The route is still here with information or updates to share. Enjoy! 

And blessings, always blessings…

Thanku to my customers!

 Thanku to my customers! 

Even tho I put this route together for the critters, 

I do this with my customers in mind, especially if it benefits their customers in any way is always good!  

Thanku! 

~

National Candy Day Nov 4th, 2021

 

So what do u do on National Candy Day? 

U can check out The Chocolate Cult’s blog for some tips, tricks, and recipes, see sidebar, 

or u can make out like a bandit for all the Halloween sales goodies! 

Four days after Halloween, you should be able to celebrate this day. 

Either you have leftover candy or generous treats.

You can also scan the sales of Halloween candy at your local stores. 

Or, invite some friends to enjoy their favorite candies with you!

Unforgettable Candies 

• M & M’s – Forrest Mars, Sr., and William Murrie developed these milk chocolate drops with the colorful candy coating following the Spanish Civil War. They stamped the new candy with the initials of their surnames. In 1941, they debuted the candies, and soon after, American soldiers serving in the Second World War received them as part of their rations. 
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – Hershey’s company first manufactured these round chocolate disks filled with sweet, creamy peanut butter filling in 1928.
• Christmas Candies – These hard candies come in the shape of ribbons or lozenges (thank you Oliver R. Chase!) and add a sweet, colorful memory to the holiday season. 
• Necco Wafers – Despite being chalky and not too sweet, this candy still tops many people’s lists.
• PEZ – Not only does this tiny candy hit the sweet spot, but it also comes with a dispenser that often represents other iconic and inspirational characters.  

          ~

Decisions Decisions

 Auto shops are hit or miss. 

Candy machines do either really well or not at all in them. 

Unless they are in a waiting room, they could still do well, just very grubby. 

I really like my current auto shop, been there for over a year, but the honor box there gets too gritty and makes very little so another location to go :-/  

  (Stock pic :-) 

     ~

No-Kill Networks

 Best Friends works towards nationwide no-kill shelters by 2025. 

There is another organization called appropriately, NoKillNetwork.org. 

Although I haven’t interacted with them as with Best Friends, I bookmarked them years ago and still check in with NoKillNerwork.org every month or so and they seem strong. 

There’s several no-kill related links on their website and even most advertisers are critter related; 

The nØkill Network is dedicated to promoting no-kill animal shelters, organizations, and rescue groups by helping people learn about and locate these organizations. 

The nØkill Network also strives to promote the no-kill model so that shelters that do not currently have a no-kill policy might take the initiative needed to gain the public, governmental, and financial support necessary to become a no-kill organization. 

Shelters that historically euthanized healthy, adoptable animals have been able to make this change - it is possible and we hope that this community can help to provide the ideas, education, and support necessary to make it happen for the rest of the shelters throughout the nation. 

Please join the community to learn, participate, and support the mission! 

A brief Thanku to one of my retailers

 

I fretted about moving a machine from one of my favorite stores 🐕 

The candy was going down but the quarters weren’t going up. 

Once I applied security tape, the candies continued going down and the quarters began going up. 

I’m very pleased to keep my machine there indeed! 

There have been locations long past where they’d cut right thru the security tape! 

Not sure how that works, but I’d always remove my machines. 

One fun irony during the history of these machines was when they had little messy tiny sticky fingerprints all over them, those machines produced the most! 

And I have no idea if it still applies in the industry today, but there were soda machines in some of the roughest areas of town that had to be enclosed in giant cages and the only openings were for the coins and the sodas, and those openings were badly beat up and graffitied and yet those locations were incredibly productive. It was difficult servicing the machines and a bit nerve-wracking, but with ironically pleasant results!  

Oh the stories from life on the road of life! 🙂 

Anyway, Thanku and all the best to that store for being so nice, may we continue for many summers! 

Research your charity

 Right now, I’m studying a site called  AnimalCharityEvaluators  .  I’ve only just signed up for their newsletter, and will keep u posted here. 

A few charities I was following shut down after the pandemic and many shelters suffered financially. 

Coming out of the pandemic will be tough, and it’s best to research any charity no matter how good they read or sound. My go-to charity is Best Friends, but until I’m able to make an in-person visit, one never knows for sure. 

The Humane Society is the oldest charity I’m aware of. If I remember my history correctly, they were started to help the work horses of the late 1800s/early 1900s. 

The first SPCA in the United States was the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), founded by Henry Bergh in New York City in 1866.

The HSUS-Humane Society United States is an umbrella organization for many charities, and although I wish they’d focus more on the care and comfort of animals, they do good work.

~

Thanku for Patience!

To my unofficial clients of my teeny-tiny route, thanku for your patience! 

There are maybe 4 locations that I’m very fond of, about 3 that are just fine, 

and a few that I’m letting go. 

Since I have several gigs that I work, and although the route remains very important, 

it seems to be time that is such a precious commodity today. 

One location I visited this week closed early, and it backlogged my route for the week, 

but I haven’t forgotten and will keep posted here. 

Again, thanku so much for your patience. 

Please feel free to contact me here with any questions and/or comments.