Hip2Give: Support Animals in Need!
We’ve received many emails from Hip2Save readers nominating various animal protection organizations to be featured on Hip2Give. For this reason, we have chosen to highlight the following organizations for this Hip2Give segment…
* The Humane Society of the United States:
The nation’s largest animal protection organization backed by 11 million Americans and seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals
* The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA):
The ASPCA works to rescue animals from abuse, pass humane laws and share resources with shelters nationwide.
* American Humane:
Focuses on preventing cruelty, neglect and exploitation of animals and assuring that their interests and well-being are fully, effectively and humanely guaranteed by an aware and caring society.
(If you would like to highlight other animal organizations, please mention them in the comment section below.)
In addition to donating money, many of these organizations will gladly accept unopened pet food and other pet-related products (call your local organizations to find out what sort of donations they are accepting at this time). How many of you have stacks of pet coupons that go unused…well, how about taking those coupons to your local food/drug stores where you should be able to find some great deals on pet-related items. Also, be sure to watch the Follow You Monday video found here (filmed in October 2009) which shows how I was able to put my pet coupons to use and check out this email below from Hip2Save reader, Amber…
My name is Amber S. and I live in Maine…I am writing to you because I wanted to share a project I have been working on for a few weeks now. In one of your entries you posted a sweet deal on Tidy Cats non-clumping litter. I do not use this kind of litter but it was such a good deal I thought “why not donate it?” So I went to my local humane society’s website to check if they took donations. Little did I know that they have a whole page just called their “wish list” with everything from dog foods and blankets to office supplies and toys. So I decided to start my own donation box and kept religiously reading your site for any deals. A lot of your deals were for dogs (which I do not have) but the B1G1 coupons were such a steal I got quite a bit of dog food and treats and tons of cat litter. I have attached a picture of what I will be donating today and here is a detailed list of what I purchased:
Tidy Cats Non-Clumping Litter 3 at $1.77 Each = $5.31
-3 $1/1 Tidy Cats Litter from the 5/2 SS
Pedigree Plus Dog Food 4 at $0.87 Each = $3.48
-2 B1G1 Free Pedigree Plus
Purina Whiska Lickens Soft Cat Treats 2 at $0.89 each = $1.78
-1 $1/1 Purina Cat treat from the 5/2 SS (took off $0.89)
Chef Michael Dog Food 2 at .80 each = $1.60
(I just found my B1G1 coupon from the 5/16 RP that they forgot to take off…but I’m not going to worry about it too much)
Pedigree Breath Buster at $3.25 and Pedigree Denta Stix at $3.19 = $6.44
– $2/1 Denta Stix from the 4/25 RP
– $3.25 (Buy one Denta Stix Get Pedigree Breath Buster Free from the 5/23 RP)
Whiskas Wet Cat food 2 at .52 each = $1.04
-1 B1G1 Whiskas Cat Food from the 4/25 RP
Total Before Coupons = $19.65
Total After Coupons = $8.25
Total Savings = $11.40 or 59% savings
I know this isn’t a very big order but this is just an example of how much money you can save just by using coupons and I know that the Human Society will appreciate the donation. I would encourage others to donate items that they either get for free or very cheap. A lot of these items I cannot use myself but because the coupons brought the items down so much, why not spend a little to give a lot?
LOVE IT!!! I often use coupons to buy for our shelter, this makes it much, much easier. I am a doggie foster mom and really appreciate your efforts to help those who can’t help themselves. Thanks and bless you!
Little Ceasars dog food is on roll back at our Wal*Mart for 50 cents each. (Does not include Bistro) All of the others are on rollback. In Petsmart they are 75 cents and Walmart is usually 83 cents. I bought a month’s worth this month and last month for my daughter”s spoiled little King Charles Cavalier!!
Thank You Hip2save for acknowledging animal groups, i was a volunteer in nj for 6 yrs in New Jersey and the things i experienced were good , bad , but always reearding.
Thank You Amber from Maine for your donationss to made , even if each of us only could buy one can of cat n dog food n drop it off at a shelter or anima agency it would be well used !
I love Petmart they allowed our recue group to hold numerous adoption fairs and at the check out u can donate 1,3,5 dollars above your purchase AND they have a donation box for those few odd coins u picked up while cleaning.:)
tc..Me and my cat keyboard =^..^=
Our local animal shelter has food donated to them by Science Diet but they do take donated treats. They probably need to keep the animals food consistent in order to prevent stomach problems from serving different types of food.
I have been wanting to do this so badly! I often see the deals and only have two dogs that have to eat a particular diet (sensitive stomach Boston Terrier who was rescued from a shelter!) so I pass up most of them. But I am a devout animal lover and would love to use these deals to donate! Thanks for the photo and thanks for supporting your local shelter 🙂
This is very inspiring. I would love to start doing this!!
Love it! I just ran a 5K for the local animal shelter. There are so many ways to help. Thanks for the savings tips. It definitely makes it easier to donate pet items when they are free or super cheap. Thanks for adding this category.
I love it! I go monthly to my local shelter to donate towels, washcloths, newspapers, shredded papers, and office supplies. It helps them out a ton! I also send them coupons in the mail so they can buy the supplies they need at a cheaper cost.
aww! i would love to help animals!! but I dont know where to donate at and also i have lot body wash and another that i want to donate. but not know where to start.
For hygene products don’t forget about our troops overseas. There are many groups you can find by doing internet searches that can help you to donate or send items to specific Soilders or Marines. Try a google search such as “support for overseas troops” or a variation of those words. You will be amazed at what pops up.
look up the women’s shelter in your county.
The best way to get money to your local humane society is to donate it directly to them. The HSUS donates very little money to the local shelters. They are terrible to farmers, ranchers and hunters. (One little fact -28 cents of every dollar HSUS collects goes to raising more funds.) Please look into these organizations before you write a check.
http://www.HumaneWatch.org
I agree with your criticism of the Humane Society; I was kinder in my post because I didn’t want to discourage any support for the animals; but you are absolutely right. The Humane Society isn’t my favorite organization although we have gotten 3 animals from our local Humane Society, I was glad to get them out of there, and I would adopt there again, but your criticisms are right on target. I also have issues with PETA; because they don’t support no-kill and support breed specific legislation. I understand issues with oercrowding at shelters, et al, but we need to aim for a world where no healthy animal is ever euthanized.
I feel the same way about the no-kill issue. That’s why I typically donate to my local independent no-kill shelter. However, I do donate to HSUS because, as pointed out, very little of that money actually goes to shelters – the majority goes towards their larger scale work and fighting for stricter legislation for animals. At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a perfect charity, but I’m more than happy to do whatever little I can to help the animals.
The HSUS is not connected with your local shelter.
“Jordan Matyas, the Illinois State Director of the Humane Society of the United States, wrote an amusing letter to the editor of the Bloomington, IL Pantagraph. He was responding to what must be a heck of a clamor among rank-and-file HSUS donors about the lack of a connection between the organization and the thousands of similarly named pet shelters.”
” If people think the American Farm Bureau Federation runs all farms or the National Rifle Association runs all gun clubs or the Fraternal Order of Police runs all police stations, then these folks need to do their homework”
(https://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/category/pets/)
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a 28% fund raising efficiency ratio is actually quite good. It’s true that a lot of their money does not go to local shelters, because most shelters are actually independent groups (Humane Society of Houston, Humane Society Jacksonville, etc, as opposed to Humane Society of the United States, which you are referencing). Furthermore, Humane Watch is a propaganda site fueled by many companies and interest groups who have a big stake in continuing animal cruelty. It is obviously in the best interest of large-scale farmers, Safari Club-type groups, and groups that use animals as cruel entertainment to discredit HSUS as much as possible. As for hunters, I think you’ll find that most “sport” hunters actually are in favor of the work that HSUS and similar groups do – enforcing quotas and licensing ensures that these hunters will have viable stocks of deer, elk, wild boar, etc for many years to come.
I do agree that you should look into any organization before donating. However, you must also be careful about where your information is coming from.
I wouldn’t want to donate to an organization where less than 1/2 of 1% of every donation dollar goes to actual animal care. (Check their tax return.) Think of all of the animals they could help if most of their money went to actual animals and not to people.
Are you serious? Find me an organization like that. I’d be interested to know what your financial background is – since you clearly know *so* much about tax returns. A 0.5% fund raising efficiency ratio? That’s downright laughable.
humanewatch.org was started by one man to call out HSUS on their untruthful ways. He is standing up for agrigculture, animal welfare, cheap and safe food and keeping poeple informed. Nothing wrong with that!
If you think radical is being against inhumane treatment and cruelty to animals then I guess many people are radical. I am afraid staging animal abuse is not necessary because it actually happens all too often.
If you are going to go around rescuing unwanted animals and spaying and neutering, fine then we don’t need those organizations. Dangerous groups? All I can say is Wow!
Colin, this is a good deed, if someone has a problem with the ASPCA or Humane Society I can’t imagine what other problems they might have.
I am sorry, my reply actually belongs under #28. I cannot believe a simple donation suggestion has to be so controversial. Really, it’s a can of dog food!
actually, they use less than .1% of all their donations to help animals. You can find their tax papers by doing a simple google seach if you don’t believe me.
If you farmed for a living then you would think it was a HUGH deal!
and, I’d be willing to bet that HSUS would not even take the donated dog food. They just want the money.
If I farmed and treated my animals humanely I wouldn’t have to worry.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Posting humane watch on this site? Take your agenda elsewhere! Humane watch, for anyone who doesn’t know, polices the humane society in support of everything they are against. They post continual netgatives against the good they do to try and cause doubt. They support whaling, animal testing and exploiting of all animals. Just look at their logo. Educate yourself people. This person’s agenda is clearly far beyond donating to the shelters by posting this website on H2S. Anyone who knows anything about supporting the shelters knows that Humanewatch is anti anything that protects the animals!
So is HSUS!
Yes Brenda, the name Humane Watch couldn’t be further from the truth.
This is a great idea – in the past I have a neighbor who is going through a divorce and she has 2 dogs and 2 cats. Her animals eat any brand food. It is amazing what kind of deals are out there. Every little bit helps. And what she doesnt use we take to an animal rescue.
this is so amazing. Ill try to do that too!! thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
Thanks so much for reminding us of this! I only have one dog (and he is spoiled rotten) but I know it’s not cheap having pets. Also, just a reminder…please do not take your dogs along on your errands and leave them in the car. I was at the outlets this weekend (a pet-friendly outlet mind you) and someone had left their 2 dogs in their car in the heat of the day. Lucky for those dogs, someone from the Humane Society happened by and reported them and with the help of the cops, they got the dogs out before something awful happened. Even with the windows cracked, summer is not the time to leave dogs in your car.
How kind and generous of that reader. I am going to have to start doing this, I normally give my pet coupons to friends or put them in coupon trains as our Jack Russell terrier is allergic to wheat so I have to buy his food from the vet (no coupons lol).
Thanks so much for highlighting the animals; they do so much for us, ask for so little in return, yet are often forgotten; again, thanks so much. An organization that I suppport is Best Friends Animal Society/No more Homeless Pets; unlike the Humane Society (which does do good work in a relatively thankless field) they are no-kill.
https://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehomelesspets/
Please spay and nueter your pets; adopt from a shelter rather than supporting puppy mills!
Thanks!!!
Awesome! Great Job Amber! I too live in Maine and have been doing this for years. I’ve been able to do much more of it by using coupons and checking out the great deals Collin lists. There are many animal organizations here in Maine and throughout the country that need this kind of help.
I’m glad that this was posted so that others can see how easy it is to do and the great need for it.
Never thought about doing this. I HAD been doing something similar for a local Women’s shelter (toiletries, toothpaste, feminine products, diapers, baby items, etc), but I may start doing this, as well.
Just a note: while many shelters feed the animals a particular brand of food, they often take other brands which they use when their officers are out and need something on-hand to feed to an animal.
What a wonderful idea! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I’m sure the organizations will appreciate any help/donation they receive.
This is such a fun thing to do! A friend of ours got married last year. She and her fiance were combining 2 households and simply did not need more stuff so they asked for donations to their favorite charities – one of which was the SPCA. I spent several months using coupons to get items free or darn close and stashed it in boxes in my garage. When the wedding was a week away, we took our kids to the SPCA and took their picture with our donation by the sign out front. We put that in a really nice photo frame and gave it to them for their wedding with a note re: the donation. They LOVED it! All in all, we ended up donating $158 worth of items that I paid just over $15 for. FYI – the SPCA also takes paper towels, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc.
My local independent no-kill shelter has a “wish list” on their website. I printed it out and taped it to a box to keep for donations. One thing that they really appreciate, and I can always get for free or nearly free, is liquid hand soap.
Thanks so much for highlighting some really great organizations! And I would encourage all of your readers to do some digging to find smaller local groups near them that could use the help as well.
It’s so weird, I just had the thought to look at the dog that I liked at our local animal shelter online and I refreshed hip2save and this came along. I think it’s a sign that I should definitely get him!
Aww 🙂 Congrats on the potential new addition to the family!
I too have a box of too good to pass up pet deals that I plan on donating. Once a year at work we have a pet food drive.
To make the denta stix/ breath buster deal even better use the $1 Target coupon on denta stix in addition to the other 2 MQs. I did 10 of these deals this weekend! My dogs don’t need that many treats so some when into my donate box. I think I might order even more of the MQs!
Where is the Denta Stix deal at?
Thanks for the reply….anyone.
I found the buy a denta stix and get the free breath busters Q from a clipping service. I was looking for more of the $2 MQ & $1 TQ. I never got the bogo in my paper. FYI the bogo beeped at Target but the cashier had no problem with giving me the freebie.
I have no pets, but I buy pet food with free coupons. Lately I donate to food pantries, because they are asking for pet supplies, also. People who are struggling to feed themselves will also have a hard time feeding their pets! I am surprised how many times a year the companies will come out with coupons that are for free products.
http://www.theanimalrecuesite.com/clicktogive Yhis website allows you to click on it daily to help provide food for rescued animals. Great job hip2save!!
I am planning on donating to my local animal shelter. They have recently taken in many animals and they don’t have the funding to care for them without help from us. I accumulate a supply of things like paper towels, dish soap, treats, food etc for them. When I have enough I take it over to them.
I really appreciate that you are highlighting animal organizations as many of us have pets. For me, my two dogs are my kids as I don’t have any Non-furry kids. My boys are actually what got me started into couponing, once I found that I could get them cheap treats and get there food cheaper I was hooked and have been ever since. Its not just the inexpensive dog food, treats and cat litter we can donate. We can donate the papers we get every week. Many rescue organizations use shredded newspapers to line kennels. I buy 7 papers a week and I always donate them once I have gotten my coupons out.
I would like to highlight one Animal rescue group though. I currently live in St Louis and have never been touched by another group the way Stray Rescue of St Louis has touched me. They don’t just rescue the animals abandoned by families, but they actively seek out the stray and feral dogs that make there homes on the streets. There are so many dogs who have gut wrenching stories who have now been saved and placed in loving homes. Organizations such as stray rescue also take donations of your time… and its free.
strayrescue.org
NO ONE should EVER donate money to The Humane Society of The United States or ASPCA! They are radical animal rights groups set out to destroy animal agrigculture in the U.S.! They are in the same group as PETA who are now on the terrorist watch list! I love this blog so much but am SOOOOOOOO disappointed to see this! I know Colin is trying to do a good deed but seriously this is NOT a good deed! They are dangerous groups. They stage animal abuse videos and use them to get your money to “save animals.” Which they only used %.01 of their donations last year to even help animals! I bed you, Colin to take this post down! My family are farmers and HSUS is working hard to put them out of business! http://www.humanewatch.org. Visit this site and get educated, please!
HSUS also raised MILLIONS to help resuce animals after hurricane Katrina. They were NO WHERE to be found. All they did was pass out t-shirts to the local shelters that did all the work so they could get their publicity. I’m sorry, this post just turns my stomach. People are so misinformed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ9b3_ZMdes
Here’s the proof!
Re: Hurricane Katrina…. my husband recently went on a church mission trip to Chalmette LA to continue with the rebuilding efforts that “all” the government and American Red Cross and pretty much everyone had their hand out to help. Unfortunately there is still much to be done there and LOTS of STRAY animals running the streets!
I don’t doubt there are not neglected and abused animals out there but if an organization such as HSUS or any other organization is raising (taking our) money to supposedly help then PLEASE HELP!!!
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing people in TRUE need while CEO’s and head honcho’s of these huge companies and even the not so huge companies making enormous salary and benefit packages!!! Because of the greediness of these so-called organizations I would rather PERSONALLY help someone I know in need.
Exactly! and, if HSUS used the money they raised to do what they said they were going to do…this would not be the case. They raised millions for Katrina animal victim! So deceitful!
Animal abuses are not staged; factory farms, mink farms, poultry farms, egg-laying factories, the circus, the list goes on; there’s a lot of animal abuse out there. It’s amazing that it is allowed to continue; watch Earthlings. Meet Your Meat, Skin Trade, watch a video of mink being skinned alive in China. There’s animal abuse, it’s not staged. Read something from Temple Grandin; she’s not trying to end slaughterhouses, just make them more humane, that’s hardly radical. I’m a vegan so I’d be happy to see the end to all animal product usage, but I know it’s not happening anytime soon. I’m tired of people who want to end the needless suffering of animals labeled as radical. It’s disgusting that animals are abused for our consumption; how else do you think you are able to get such cheap meat and dairy products? Not good for you, the environment, nor the animals.
To some people’s delight I will try to make this my last post; in regards to the”radical animal activists with the vegan agenda”, I’d like to point out that the same is said about “environmental activists” and what is spewing in the Gulf Coast?
seriously with all of the high-tech and not so high-tech technologies of today there is NO reason this oil leak could not have been stopped weeks ago!
We are not supporting animal suffering. We just don’t need HSUS and their lies! Veganism is a horrible diet for your health, by the way!
The animal shelter where I live in IL will only take canned dog food, not dry. I don’t know why. Just an FYI.
The HSUS does not do what you would expect from a group with their name. Did you know that the Humane Society of the United States, the one that puts the nasty pictures of all of the sick dogs/cats, horses being loaded into semi’s and the milk cows being pushed around by forklifts only spends $450,000.00 on actual animal care per fiscal year, but they raise $86 MILLION dollars per fiscal year. Please do not promote groups UNLESS you research them.
SO AGREE!! And, if they have their way with their vegan agenda then NONE of us will be saving money. They want to end animal ag in the US then we’ll be spending 4-5 times more on food from over seas and it will be full of disease!
Food now would be full of more disease if the animals weren’t being shot full of antibiotics, which is wreaking havoc on our immune systems because of resistant strains of bacteria, all the hormones being feed to the animals to enable cheaper food at higher profits aren’t doing our bodies any favors either.
It is illegal to feed hormones to animals. Our food supply is highly regulated, and is very safe.
What? Why is the dairy industry fighting farmers from being able to tout hormone -free milk? Our foods safe? Yeah, thanks to the overuse of antibiotics. Swine flu started from a factory farm.
Because people choose to live their lives as vegans is their choice just as you choose to eat meat. I can say you have a “carnivore agenda.” This is a money saving site not a political one, if you need to diss animal lovers you could always call Rush Limbaugh.
HELLOOOO—these were READER suggested. DUH
was it Reader suggested? To promote HSUS?!? Read the email again! DUH!
no one is forcing you read this blog. you can go elsewhere if you don’t like it!
Ummm…hello ding dong. They were reader suggested.
I have been doing this same thing and got the idea from Collin’s “Follow me Monday ” Video when she went to Meijer. Just Since then I have a whole tote full ready to go to the shelter. I get my kids involved and it teaches them the importance of giving. I also wanted to point out that you can also find things at rummage sales that the shelter needs, if yours has a wish list too.
If any of you are interested, you can donate (small amounts at a time) for FREE by just clicking on this website: http://www.animalrescuesite.com. It also has tabs for other charities that donate to things like hunger, literacy, the rainforest, etc.
Another no kill shelter is http://www.friendsofphoenix.com. They do a lot of great work there! (full disclosure-my sister helps run it!). Check it out though, a lot of the smaller shelters get no help because no one knows about them.Science Diet does donate all the animal food they use for the cost of shipping though-hooray for Science Diet!
Personally I would get on https://www.petfinder.com/index.html and find a local RESCUE group, contact them and donate to them!
We are foster parents to a local rescue that pulls from animal control & donations help soooo much!
I have 5 rescue dogs and a rescue cat but still donate. I bought lots of mighty dog coupons of e-bay $3 off 5 cans (expired now) and donated 1000 cans to local shelters and all I paid for was the coupons and tax (took a lot of visits to Walmart) I also buy dry food when it’s on sale and have coupons plus paper towels. I also donate to the cats protection society in our area. I collect all sorts of things from people and take them to their resale shops. They also like to get old towels, comforters, cleaning products etc etc
Don’t forget to check with your local WalMart (or possibly other stores) about them taking expired coupons. Mine takes expireds (as long as they aren’t really old, and I don’t use a ton at one time). It is definitely up to your Store Manager, though. Hope this helps!
I often donate cat or dog food to the local food bank. I once saw a big bag of dog food by the door, and thought that I could use coupons to get deals on cat and dog food. I have 2 cats myself, but I often will get dog food or kitten chow for really cheap with a coupon and a sale, and donate it.
Colin, please beware of what you asking people to support! You don’t even have to go to humanewatch.org to find out about how decietful HSUS is. Their goal is to push their vegan agenda on everyone. And, just because people do not agree with HSUS does not mean that they support animal abuse or “puppy mills” or inhumane farming! These extreme animal rights groups do not do anything to help animals. The few shelters that they do own are run down and have crappy living conditions and are quite abusive to the animals they claim to be “helping!” Support your local shelters where the money will be used toward actually helping animals. Any farmer knows that abused animals do not produce well. Please, do not be deceived by these “animal welfare” groups!
I have been an animal RIGHTs activist for 10 years now.
Big difference between rights and humane activist.
I do NOT support peta for their views on my beloved pitbulls.
Hsus is controversial—but I do not speak out against them because Im uninformed on them. No one knows how true or not the allegations are.
Lastly, dont tell collin not to post cetain things. These were reader recommended! She didnt know!!!
so, if a reader told Colin about a group that promoted, say, child slave labor, she should just because a reader said to? …makes sense.
After reading this it inspired me…My family and I just got back from our local humane society. Pretty much everything I donated was free or very cheap!
I enjoyed it so much and my 3 yr old also loved seeing the animals!
I don’t think anyone should give Colin a hard time about the donations to animals. She is not in control of what hsus or any other organization does. Helping animals is an personal thing and I hope everyone continues to give what they can to local shelters . I also do the samething with my coupons ,I buy as much as I can and give to a nokill cat shelter in my town and also our local humane society. I will not stop because of one or two bad apples. We should all do our part to help in whatever way we can. ALL animals deserve to live happy lives and be loved and not suffer and abuse. I think you are doing a wonderful job Colin =)
Well said, Sandy.
Thank you, Collin, for this post and for all your other Hip2Give posts. Please don’t let certain commenters discourage you from continuing to spread awareness and inspiring your readers to give to those in need. The animals appreciate you, and so do I! 🙂
well said sandy! Colin put this post up with good intentions not with negative thinking. All these people with donations are doing a GREAT job! keep it up! those animals that are put into shelters do not have a choice and they should not get punished for it. I think as a community, we should try and help each other out and give each other support instead of criticizing others for what we should or shouldn’t be doing.
THANK YOU COLIN FOR THIS POST! it has definately inspired me to help out also!
Noone is giving Colin a hard time about donating to help animals. Those of us that know the dangers of HSUS are just trying to inform her readers about how deceitful they are! Most people believe those sad TV ads and will give their money to them thinking it will go to a good cause. But, it does not. Colin’s website is very persuasive and we just think that readers should know what kind of charity she’s promoting. Not that Colin meant to do anything bad…I’m positive that her intentions were very honorable. Doesn’t change the fact that many are misled and HSUS needs to be stopped and people need to be informed!
Oh shut up.
For those of you who have followed Colin’s blog a long time you may want to shout out “IT WAS JUST A LEMON!!!” Anyway, Colin, you do a great job, have saved my family loads of cash, and have hooked me up with some awesome goodies. Thanks for all you do!
This is more than “just a lemon” to the millons of farmers and ranchers trying to make a living while having to deal with HSUS and their deceitful agenda!
Awwww the poor murderers will be out of business. boooo hooo.
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but lots of shelters need newspapers ( I’m sure most couponers have plenty) and small cardboard boxed (the kind cans come in) to use for litter boxed. This is something to donate that would not be an extra expense along with the other items mentioned. I think this is a wonderful idea. We are the only voice these animals have.
Opps! I meant boxes. Sorry.
Wow, this post has brought out the nutbags, I see. Jana and WBC (and the 5 other names you post under), factory farms are despicable and unimaginably cruel. They have got to go, and the HSUS is trying to make the public aware of what happens to animals before they end up on your plate. Just because you live in a delusional bubble doesn’t mean you have to spread lies about the HSUS. Google “meet your meat” and tell me that doesn’t appall you. Maybe your “family” should switch to careers that don’t involve torturing animals before murdering them. Your beloved factory farms are also ruining our environment and are the biggest contributors to global warming. Wake up, people!
Yes yes and yes to this! I cannot believe so many people are so uninformed! Shocking that people are still out there ignorant to animal cruelty.
IMO, most of the people that raise animals for food eat what they grow. Do you honestly think that I am going to raise an animal for food that I would not feed my own children? Personally, there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing where your food comes from, be it the garden or the pig pen, or the steer pen, the chicken coop, or the sheep pen.
Excuse me, but I didn’t post under all those names! More people than me know the lies that HSUS tells! Global warming is the biggest lie…did you know that it’s never been proven and the “science” behind it doesn’t add up…any guess why? You need to educate yourself rather than just believe all of the media lies. Man, you sure are gullible! If you saw on the news that all the rabbits in the world were soon going to turn purple if you breathed in too much oxygen you’d probably start taking fewer breaths. Maybe you should go out and visit a farm before you start accusing us of “torturing” animals. Goodness, I sure wish hard working farmers could choose who gets to buy their food. It’s people like you that take for granted that your food will just always be on your plate. Do some research on HSUS…you will uncover why they are not a group you want to support!
I’m not gullible whatsoever. I doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize we are destroying the planet, and I have chosen to lessen my impact as much as possible. Plus, I have a conscience and I don’t condone animal abuse. I don’t take for granted the food I eat. If people stopped consuming so much meat, we would be able to produce enough grains and produce to ensure no American would go without food. It takes 8 times the energy to produce 1 pound of meat versus 1 pound of grains. Plus, when you eat meat, do you really know what you’re consuming? An antibiotic-laden, disease-ridden corpse.
Your family might have a small, family-run farm, but let’s face the facts: 99% of the meat consumed in American comes from FACTORY farms, not Old MacDonald’s happily-ever-after farm. I HAVE been to farms before. I have seen with my own two eyes the atrocities that occur every single day to provide Americans with cheap meat. The meat may be cheap, but the healthcare costs you’ll have pay later on certainly are not (heart disease, cancers, etc.). Why do you think vegetarians live, on average, 6 years longer than meat eaters?
really? 6 years longer? I’m going to need proof of that. And, not from a “Veggie” website. There have been 1000’s and 1000’s of studies that prove that eating a balanced diet (including meat) is the best for everyone. And, it obviously does take a rocket scientist to recognize it..your normal everyday scientists can’t even prove Global Warming…or that eating meat is “destroying the planet.” It’s a big money making lie that everyone is buying into. This whole “green” movement is going to cost us all and it’s not even necessary and HSUS just enforces this rediculious-ness. I believe that God gave us all the “sustainability” that we need.
“Compared to our meat-eating comrades, vegetarians experience a 50 percent lower rate of heart disease, a 40 percent lower cancer rate and a lifespan of 6-10 years longer, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”. There are many, many more direct quotes and study links I can give you. 🙂
P.S. I don’t think God would appreciate how we are treating His animals and His earth.
I don’t think that we should abuse anything..animals, earth, people, etc. but, The point I’m trying to make is that the media is taking the green movement too far. They scare people to death that the world is going to combust if we don’t live “greener.” and, that’s simply not the case.
oh, and I found these on the AJCN website, too…
“restrictive or unbalanced vegetarian diets may lead to nutritional deficiencies”
“during pregnancy, lactation, and the growing years, those following vegetarian diets, especially restrictive or unbalanced ones, may be at higher risk for marginal intakes or even biochemical or clinical nutrient deficiencies than those following meat-based diets.”
I’m sure you know there are many, many more quotes that show the advantages of eating a well-balanced diet..including meat.
Lindsey, I would encourage you to please educate yourself further. You don’t have to eat meat or decide that it’s ok for others to do so, but your impression of the type of food produced by “factory farms” and the care that animals receive there is incorrect. It seems you have had unpleasant experiences that have led to your view of these farms being what it is. In general, because of the lack of or limited exposure of most people to the realities of food animal production (aka- no idea what is involved to get the steak to the plate) often there are misunderstandings and misconceptions about how these animals are treated. For some reason people always seem to arrive at the conclusion that mistreatment and disease are widespread and the norm for the industry (in my opinion primarily because the media and marketing by animal rights organizations have done a good job in evoking this emotional response. Their goal is not to be representative of the industry as a whole, but only a few bad apples because it serves their agenda better.). I assure you it is not normal or commonplace for mistreatment or disease to be taken lightly or simply allowed. Production is hindered or eliminated all together where mistreatment and disease are present and since healthy animals produce well it would make no sense because, just like any business, a profit must be made and good business people do what they can to ensure the best profits possible. Good animal treatment and health practices go hand in hand with good business. I am not trying to reduce responsible animal care to simply a matter of economics, but in truth the two are inseparable if animals are your business. I am aware that there are abuses that occur in the animal industry. As an industry we educate and supervise on an individual level to make these occurrences as few and far between as possible. Until there is a way to eliminate the potential for humans to make the wrong choices we as a society will continue to have to deal with the atrocities committed against not only animals, but other people as well.
You know, when I first started reading the comments on this thread I was getting angry/upset because so many people are so clearly misinformed. But thank you, Janna. You are laughably insane, and your own special brand of crazy has just made my day.
While all are a great cause, don’t forget to support your local shelter!! My mom used to work for the county pound and the local organizations don’t receive any of the money that you give to the large corporations. So the next time you get one of the letters in the mail to donate, take your money to your local shelter instead. Also if you have any old towels, sheets, blankets/comforters, chew toys, ect. they CAN use and will accept them all!!
Wow – I’ve read every comment! It’s been an enlightening discussion! While I’m both an animal lover and meat eater, I don’t have much of an opinion on the organizations highlighted and commented about. I appreciate everyone’s help in trying to make sure we’ll all informed. One consensus I’ve seen, though, is to help out your local shelter by donating items. I can’t see any harm in making sure the animals in local shelters have the food and other items they need.Thanks for the great topic of discussion, Collin!
The HSUS is not what they appear to be. They are not associated with your local humane society and are against hard working farmers. I am disappointed to see this on Hip 2 Save.
As mentioned by other readers, you need to investigate the larger organizations listed before donating to them. Often clever marketing campaigns are misleading and the majority of your money doesn’t go to help animals (In some cases you will be helping out an organization that all ready has a multi-million dollar budget and your beliefs may not exactly coincide with theirs- especially if any animal products are consumed/worn/used in your home or if you are otherwise involved in animal agriculture in any way.) I was happy to see that many readers are donating on a local level to help out shelters/rescues in their area. As an employee of a local shelter, I know that this is where the most need usually is. There is only so much they can do to help without sufficient resources. If you lack in funds or items to donate please consider donating your time. A summer volunteering at my local shelter when I was 12 was a most valuable learning experience. There are often strong feelings involved where animals and their treatment are concerned. My advice as an animal care professional is to educate yourself. Don’t rely on what the media or marketing campaigns tell you as your sole source of information. Dig a little deeper especially if it’s something you don’t know much about or have any personal experience with. This includes most importantly examining issues from the opposing point of view. You might be surprised at what you learn!