Help Us Recycle Prescription
Doris Tassin
Another successful task that was started by the SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network quite a few years ago was the collecting of clean, empty pill bottles or prescription containers. The collection first took place at the dog park, but for the last few years, we have had two collection sites at the SaddleBrooke Shopping Center; one at Mezzabyte Computer Store and the other at Dentistry by Design. The collection is expanding and so successful that we now deliver bottles not only to pet charities such as PACC (Pima Animal Care Center), the Humane Society, and Cody’s Friends, but also to charities such as World Care, and IMPACT of Southern AZ for the homeless. In order that the containers can be useful to our charities, they have to be the amber type without any labels or paper attached, not sticky or tacky, and preferably with a childproof top.
We thank everybody who has contributed to our success, and a special thanks to Mike at Mezzabyte Computer Store and to Alma at Dentistry by Design for letting us use their establishment for the collection containers.
Please Re-Member the Network
Beth Conquest
The work of helping homeless and abused pets never ends. So, it’s time to get ready for next year!
Time to renew your annual membership with The Network. For $20/household per year you can help us continue our efforts to help homeless pets get much needed veterinary care and a second chance at a loving home. As part of your membership you will have access to our newsletter and advance notice of all our special events.
SaddleBrooke’s power to impact local rescue is extraordinary as we send 100% of donations and fundraiser income to help homeless pets. All membership renewals received from this point forward will be valid through year end 2020. We are honored by the continuing generous support we have in the SaddleBrooke community. Thank you for donating and for volunteering!
You can renew your membership online at http://www.sbpetrescue.com/join-donate.html or by check made payable to SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network- drop off or mail to SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network, c/o Carol Merlini, 63267 E. Brooke Park Drive, Tucson, AZ 85739.
Thank you to those who already renewed their 2020 membership!
Donations to the Network are not tax deductible.
Year in Review
SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network Board
As we entered 2019, the Network refocused its mission to concentrate on the following areas:
* Support Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), Pinal County Animal Care and Control (PCACC) and pet rescue groups by making monetary donations for medical and behavioral training costs as well as volunteering and in-kind donations.
* Expand our fundraising efforts to support our mission.
* Communicate to SaddleBrooke residents the important issues that arise from being a pet friendly community.
* Direct prospective adopters and fosters to the appropriate rescue group that most closely matches their needs. We will continue to assist with placement of strays and other pets in SaddleBrooke that lose their home to illness or death of their owners.
* We will support efforts of ‘Seniors to Seniors’, placing adult pets with SaddleBrooke residents.
Through dues, events and cash donations we raised over $14,000. With these funds we were able to provide $5,476 to nine different rescue groups for 42 specific animals in need. Many of these dogs and cats would have been euthanized had it not been for the work of these caring rescue groups to save them. We are proud to have been a part of their efforts. In addition, we helped to pay down the veterinary debt of local rescue groups by contributing $1,000 to each of the veterinary accounts of eight different rescue groups for a total of $8,000. We are also proud of the fact that only 1.4% of our funds were paid out in operating expenses like maintenance of our website.
The Network’s monthly pick up program continues to grow. When we began four years ago, we were filling two SUVs each month with towels, pet beds, pet food, and miscellaneous pet items for the various shelters and rescuers. This year we are now filling six to eight SUVs with towels and pet items. This equates to approximately $26,000 worth of merchandise that the rescue groups and shelters did not have to purchase. Over the years, we have saved the rescues and shelters close to $128,000. These dollars saved enabled them to focus on taking in and caring for more homeless pets in need.
We also conducted two special events this year. A pet food drive in August netted four full SUVs of food that was distributed to Cody’s Friends – a Tucson charity that provides pet food and supplies to pets and their people living in poverty throughout Tucson; and animal rescue groups Cherished Tails Senior Sanctuary, Hope Animal Shelter, and Lil Bit of Love. We also had over $500 in cash donations that were split between these groups. In September we conducted an emergency towel collection effort for Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), which was in response to a plea for more towels as a result of a huge intake of puppies, kittens, and pregnant females. Within four days we collected 44 large bags of towels that were delivered to PACC by our PACC liaison.
We want to take this opportunity to thank all the SaddleBrooke residents for their generous contributions to our mission. We would not have been able to provide for Tucson’s homeless pets without the caring assistance and on-going generosity by way of donations, both monetary and in-kind, and the hours of volunteerism. In 2019 we were 280 active members strong with 44 active volunteers. We look forward to your continued support in 2020 and beyond.
For more information on our mission or how you can volunteer to work with the Network, visit our website at www.sbpetrescue.com or email us at [email protected].
Monthly Pick Up Program Provides
Beth Conquest
We are very grateful to the residents of SaddleBrooke who donated record numbers of gently used linens and pet supplies in November and December. Because of your generosity we were able to deliver a total of six SUV loads (four in November and two in December) of donated pet items to Cody’s Friends Charity. We also regularly receive items from the Friday Quilters and in November and December this awesome group came through in a big way by providing us with over 20 pet beds which were also taken to Cody’s Friends. In addition, 11 bags of donated towels were taken to Pima Animal Care Center both months.
We could not accomplish this without our dedicated group of drivers – Karyle Steele, Suzanne Bassett, Rick Baumgartner, Nancy Harrigan, Romayne Trudo, and back-up drivers Carol Merlini and Carole Rossof, who make it all possible by picking up and sorting these items every month.
Thank you SaddleBrooke for your support and to all who donate throughout the year to these worthwhile projects!
First Fridays SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue
Karyle Steele
The SaddleBrooke Pet Rescue Network works with Pima Animal Care Center, Pinal Animal Care Center, and several rescue groups of homeless pets. We provide financial support for the medical needs and behavioral training of the pets to get them healthy and adopted.
We have a monthly pick-up service.
Items we CAN accept
Clean bath size towels, blankets, crates/pads, pet beds, pet food, litter boxes, litter, scratching posts and pads, water bowls, toys, pet medication [must not be expired], pet coats/sweaters, leashes, collars, harnesses, grooming tools, pet gates, Xpens, puppy pads, E-collars, and training tools.
Items we CANNOT accept
Comforters/quilted items, hand towels, wash cloths, rugs with rubber backing, electric blankets, pillows or chair pads, mattress covers, carpeting, sheets.
Pick up takes place the first Friday of every month. Just email [email protected] or call 520-548-7861 to arrange for a pick-up. Please contact us by noon on the Wednesday before the requested pick-up date so that we can arrange the most efficient schedule. Just place it in your driveway by 8 a.m. on the day of pick-up, and we do the rest. Pick up of any item is at the discretion of the driver.
Empty prescription containers can be dropped off at 63701 SaddleBrooke Blvd at Mezzabyte Computers Suite U or Dentistry by Design Suite M in the commercial center. Please remove all labels prior to donating. These are recycled by rescue groups.
Join us at [email protected] or www.sbpetrescue.com.