Since Katrina, ARF’s situation has grown desperate. Mobile feels forgotten right now...

Posted 07/24/2006 

please cross-post widely

   
    
When Katrina struck, ferocious winds tossed buildings and cars like weightless toys. Levees collapsed, drowning New Orleans in rotting black water. Yet many did not realize Katrina’s wrath in the lower third of  Alabama. Bayou Labatre areas were wiped out. Katrina crashed down on Mobile, AL -- residents were evacuated -- but news coverage was scarce. Still, Mobile became a drop site for supplies, volunteers... and many animals displaced by the hurricanes.

I know this firsthand. Before my role as food/water assignments director for original ARNO (under Jane Garrison, Pia Salk, David Meyer), Kinship Circle united with Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) of Mobile, under the banner Grassroots Effort For Animals of the Storm . Many of you are on this email list as a result of our work last September - November. We maintained a supply distribution site in Mobile and ARF/Kinship Circle sent supplies/volunteers to nearly 80 rescue missions across Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama... ARF/Kinship Circle - Grassroots Effort for Animals of the Storm: http://www.kinshipcircle.org/katrina/mission-photoalbum1.html

In Katrina’s chaotic aftermath ARF’s Julia Fischer and I mobilized everything from crates, leashes and food to vaccines, generators, and people. ARF worked tirelessly to save animals in other storm states, pulling from MS, LA and Texas (after Rita). “Now, ARF’s plight is serious beyond
description,” Julia reports.


TO HELP ARF, CONTACT:
Julia Fischer, ARF Mobile - ggnu@bellsouth.net
cell: 251-455-9377; home: 251-645-8605

Donna Dickson - dkdickson@thomasbealle.com
cell: 251-510-0227

IMMEDIATE NEEDS:
*    Dog Food / Cat Food
*   Puppy food / Kitten Food  
Most animals come to ARF debilitated and malnourished and need high-quality food in order to vet them. I.E., Purina, Science Diet, Pro Plan, Holistic/Vegan brands, etc.

*    Cat Litter 
Non “dusty brands” due to poor health of incoming animals.

*    TRANSPORTS To No-Kill Facilities Or Homes

*   Please be prepared to tell us the approximate size/weight of donations
    (for proper storage purposes) and have references available for transports.


Donations to Kinship Circle for our Grassroots Effort went directly to hurricane relief in MS, LA and TX. ARF itself spent thousands to maintain our storage facility in Mobile and sent its own food/supplies to hurricane missions in immediate need.

ARF SAVED NO SUPPLIES OR FUNDS FOR ITSELF. Even money urgently needed to rehab their “ARFanage” went to the hurricane crisis at hand. “How could we NOT give away our savings for ARF’s future,” Julia asks, “when people and animals faced such a bleak and tragic present?”

Thanks to Science Diet’s shelter program, ARF originally received donated food, allowing them to focus funds on vetting, rehabilitation, housing, kenneling, and supplies. But Science Diet has removed ARF from its “needy shelter” list, claiming LA/MS shelters need the food more. This has
devastated ARF, who cares for more than 200-300 animals each day. Animals are in dire straits and ARF is struggling for help.