Page 8 - The Hunt - Winter 2022

GIFTS THAT
GIVETBACK
FEELING INSPIRED he holidays are a wonderful time
18-year veteran of Faithful Friends who serves as its director of development and public relations. “We have always been an advocacy organization. We’ve always wanted to make big changes for the animals in our state and to make sure that they’re protected.”
The easiest way to support Faithful Friends
is with an online donation. In fact, Faithful Friends’ biggest annual fundraiser, the Double Your Love Match Challenge Campaign, is upon us: Through February 15, every dollar donated to Faithful Friends will be doubled by a group of generous supporters, up to $300,000.
Additionally, you can visit the Faithful Friends website to view their wish list and purchase needed supplies, such as pet food, toys and more. You can also volunteer to help care for the animals, walk dogs, play with cats or even take on special projects throughout the year, like building houses for outdoor cats.
The Dog Ambassador program provides extra enrichment and joy to the lives of the shelter’s most vulnerable dogs.
And finally, if you have room in your home for another family member, consider fostering or adopting an animal. As O’Neill notes, “There are so many personal benefits to adopting or fostering an animal. Although sometimes it seems like opening your heart and your home to a pet is a lot of work—and sometimes it is, to be realistic—you get so much back, and that’s unmeasurable.”
Visit faithfulfriends.us.
Friendship House NEC
In the late 1980s, Friendship House began
as a thrift store with a mission to help the unhoused in Wilmington. New Castle Presbytery and Meeting Ground, a Maryland nonprofit, combined forces to operate the thrift store, providing resources and advocacy to the population as well.
News of this safe haven began to spread, attracting an increasing number of people, which led to the city fire marshal closing its
TO BE CHARITABLE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON? THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY AND SHOW YOUR
LOVE FOR OTHERS, WHETHER IT’S
WITH YOUR TIME, FINANCES OR
TALENTS.
BY NATALIE ORGA
for self-reflection. What kind of impact do you want to have on your community, and on the world?
What causes are you passionate about? This time of year is also the perfect time to turn your passion into action. Donating to charities and volunteering at charitable organizations in your area are just a couple of ways to spread the love. Read on for more information about how you can help these local groups.
Faithful Friends Animal Society
Faithful Friends Animal Society was founded in Wilmington in 2000 after a group of dedicated citizens realized that 90% of animals entering the publicly funded shelter system in Delaware were being euthanized every year.
Determined to advocate for the voiceless, Faithful Friends has since become a multifaceted organization that offers adoption and fostering services, veterinary care, obedience training, vaccines, spaying and neutering, a free pet food bank and more.
“We are very driven by the bond between pets and people,” says Shannon O’Neill, CFRE, an
Local veterans helped by the Delaware Center of Homeless Veterans.
6 todaymedia.com I December 2022
DELAWARE CENTER FOR HOMELESS VETERANS