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: Practical Paralegalism

Paralegal Starts Community Pet Food Pantry

By Lynne DeVenny

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Who hasn't seen too many sad stories in the news where victims of America's down economy have not only lost their jobs, their health insurance, and their homes - but also their beloved family pets because they could not afford to feed them?

Illinois paralegal Gerri Vaughn, employed by Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti, saw the desperate need in her own hard-hit community, and after adopting her dog, Bruno, from the local animal shelter two years ago, decided to do something about it.

She told the Chicago Daily Herald:

I saw how many animals were in the shelter, and I had been hearing in the news about so many voluntary surrenders of pets because people couldn't afford to keep them. I was hearing stories about people using food stamps to buy tuna and hot dogs for their animals, and that's not getting the proper nutrition, and it's not good for the family.

Together with her daughter Devin, in January 2010, Vaughn founded Bruno's Pro Bone O Pet Pantry, located in Geneva, Illinois. Per the non-profit organization's website:

Bruno's Pro Bone O Pet Pantry, NFP is dedicated to providing free pet food for the dogs and cats of low-income, elderly and disabled people. We are able to accomplish this goal by soliciting and collecting pet food through a network of agencies, programs and the generosity of the community we serve. It is our mission to ensure that pets are not forgotten or abandoned during financial hardship and can remain in their home and with their family thereby improving the quality of life for both pets and their owners.

Vaughn says getting the word out about the pet food pantry has been a challenge, and the local Petco store has been a tremendous help, setting up an in-store donation program. Eventually, she hopes to expand her efforts to help families with veterinary services.

I love reading articles about legal professionals' pro bono, or in this case, pro bone-o, activities in their communities. Kudos to Vaughn for using her talents as a paralegal to take on such a worthy cause. Keeping a beloved family pet, during the worst period of your life, can mean the difference between finding a reason to keep going until a better day, or giving up.

For more information on how to donate to Vaughn's pet food pantry, click here.

Sources: Bruno's Pro Bone O Pet Pantry; Chicago Daily Herald

Full post as published by Practical Paralegalism on September 26, 2010 (boomark / email).