Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/gg-thanks-good-packs-2022/
We here at GreaterGood would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for donating to our causes in 2022! Thanks to generous donations from readers like you, we’ve been able to help so many people and pets and make such a difference in the health of our planet in the past year.
Our goal was to raise $4 million in 2022, and we’re excited to report that we hit that goal ($4,182,502 in total)!
Chicago Veterans Event
We’d like to say a special thank you to those who donated during our end-of-year push to provide Good Packs to those in need. Thanks to your support, we were able to fund 848 Good Packs for veterans and their pets in the last few weeks of 2022!
Our Good Packs typically consist of a backpack to hold supplies, a hygiene kit (shampoo, soap, toothbrush), a reusable water bottle, a t-shirt, socks, and a blanket. For pets, we include a collapsible bowl for food and water, a slip-lead leash, treats, and a toy.
Seattle Stand Down
The contents of each Good Pack can vary based on the type of person or pet its meant to serve, the climate of the region, and other factors, but they’re always full of vital survival and comfort supplies to help keep people and pets alive, safe, warm, and well.
In 2022, Good Packs were distributed to animal shelters, people who were displaced by Hurricane Ian and other disasters, homeless citizens and veterans and their pets, and more. They’ve been distributed in Tuscon, Chicago, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and beyond.
Feeding Tampa Bay is one of the organizations we’ve worked with to help deliver supplies to the people most affected by Hurricane Ian. One student and working mom named Keta explains how Feeding Tampa Bay and GreaterGood have helped her provide for her 11- and 5-year-old daughters:
“It’s a constant fear, not knowing where my next meal will come from. I’m grateful to have access to local food pantries and friendly neighbors – they help my little family get by,” says Keta. “I have seen firsthand the impact food relief can have on a struggling population and hope to start a soup kitchen someday.”
Keta and her children
Keta already pays it forward by cooking a big meal for all her neighbors once a month.
Cody’s Friends is another organization we’ve paired up with to distribute Good Packs and dog collars to the veterans (and their pets) who need them at the Tucson Veterans Stand Down Event. Cody’s Friends often works with veterans who live in transitional housing and their pets.
GGC’s Brooke Nowak joined Cody’s Friends volunteers at the Stand Down event.
“Being able to also have the backpacks and the pet supplies was a huge blessing for the veterans and their pups,” says a spokesperson for Cody’s Friends. “For many of them, their pup is their only family, and keeping them safe is very important. For the homeless, a backpack is a treasure. They are not able to shop, and so they rarely are able to get
bags to carry their belongings in, so those backpacks were a dream come true for many of them.”
Roughly 75 dogs and 50 veterans were supplied with Good Packs full of basic necessities for their safety and well-being at the Stand Down event.
Volunteer Terry Bride and a pup named Buck and his mom. Buck’s leash was worn through. The leash we were able to give him from GGC most likely saved his life.
Of course, there are still many more people in poverty and disaster situations who need our help. Now we have a goal to donate at least $5 million in 2023 to people and pets in need and to causes that help save the planet, and that includes more Good Packs. We know we can achieve that goal with your help!
It is people like you who make this world a place worth living in. We hope we can count on your support again this year as we work to make the world a better place one Good Pack at a time!
Join the movement for 2023 and jumpstart our progress with an early contribution below!
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog
