Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Taking It To the Streets

How often have you seen homeless people and their pets? Have you ever wondered what could be done to help them? Here's some inspiration for you.

Lori and Shira Rich have made it their mission to spread kindness to the homeless and their pets. The desire to devote their time and resources to those who are less fortunate than they began in March 2012 with Shira's concern for the homeless pets and the people that care for them. The unconditional love is a two-way street, and so is the loyalty. For many of them it's the only unconditional love and loyalty they receive. The homeless people gain companionship and help them learn about responsibility.

Lori and Shira, true to their grassroots effort, started their nonprofit, Taking It To the Streets. Mother and daughter travel around Riverside, CA giving love, attention and dog treats to the stray dogs in their community. They also raise money to spay, neuter, vaccinate, microchip and provide stray dogs with the care and concern they need in order to enrich the lives of those in need while reducing the street dog population. According to the nice people at HooplaHa, who shared this video, sometimes the best solution to a problem isn't change, but to accept and care for the less fortunate, and the ones they love.




For more information on this non-profit, you can visit their website: 

http://takingittothestreetswithloriandshira.org/index.html

7 comments:

Gordon Brice said...

What wonderful people this mother and daughter are. Those that they are able to help in so many different ways, are very fortunate and the dogs certainly show their love and appreciation, as the video demonstrates.
Government funding would go a long way to helping those in need. A much better proposition than sending it where it is often misused and squandered.
Thank you very much for sharing this enlightening story.

Jim said...

Thi9s is so marvelous! What a good deed they do for their community. Thanks, Darlene!

Rescuegal said...

Wow! Kudos to these wonderful women. I do worry about those who are homeless, especially the veterans and I see many of them who have pets. There is one homeless Vet that I see with his dog often at our local Walmart in the winter. The store is kind enough to let he and his dog sit just inside the door when the weather is so bad. Many shelters do not allow pets, so he has to stay away from them. He never has a blanket under or over him but his dog always has part of the blanket under her and part over her. I give him money for food when I can and buy food for the dog. It is not much, but he is so appreciative. Only wish I could do more. Breaks my heart.
Thanks for sharing this fantastic story, Darlene.

Darlene said...

Thank you, James Stagg. I'm so glad you liked it. It's inspirational, which is one reason I posted it. I also wanted to draw attention to what this mother and daughter are doing in their community, 3000 miles away from me.

Darlene said...

Oh, Rescuegal, your story of the homeless man and his dog in your area touched my heart. The fact that he is a Veteran makes it even sadder. Bless you for helping him and his dog. And whatever people say about Walmart, they have enough heart to allow him inside the door with his dog. Who else would? Thank you for sharing!

Unknown said...

What a lovely thing these two are doing! I wish more people could find time and compassion enough to do something like this. Even more, since I'm wishing, I wish all the homeless people and homeless animals everywhere could find shelter, food, peace, and security. In Miami we have truly a lot of homeless people and animals because of the mild weather, and it is heartbreaking to realize they are all around, in need of help. I've rescued hundreds of homeless cats and it has worn me out. There is always more to do. Thank goodness for this wonderful mother and daughter who are helping homeless dogs. They are true friends of animals. May they be richly blessed!

Darlene said...

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and heartfelt comment, Karen. Bless you for rescuing so many homeless cats. Whatever is going to happen, it will happen on the grassroots level, and I urge everyone to contribute to their local rescues and help local shelters, or do what this mother and daughter have done. We can all do something in some way, even if it's just donate much-needed supplies to the local shelter.