We are updating our website to improve our communication of what we do to our supporters. We are starting a new blog / newsletter that we hope you will be interested in receiving monthly and keeping up to date on our progress and our new programs. Please email us at thesosclubofga@yahoo.com to be added to our list We want to let you know what we are doing and the progress we are having on the programs you are sponsoring.
SOS Club, our main corporation was founded by Tom Wargo in 1997. We have since started numerous programs. Some of our main programs are listed below. All donations received goes to help support these programs and new programs being started every year. We have additional programs to serve even more pets getting started this year. We want to assist as many helpless animals we can but keeping in mind we have a limited budget. Please support all or one of our programs today. Let us know if you would like your donation to go to a specific program.
Daffy's Pet Soup Kitchen - Daffy's has grown in just a short period of time. We started the actual soup kitchen with our first warehouse in 2008. We have gone from handing out around 2000 lbs to over 30,000lbs per month. We now assist some local animal controls and rescues in need as well as our main customers, the individual. I saw the need to help the individual back in 1997. The rescues were getting funds and grants because of the incredible amount of pets being turned in due to lack of food or funds to care for them. It only made sense to me to help these people keep their pets at home where they would be happy, not in a rescue or a crate for most of their lives. Also, I saw a great need when I heard people were using their donated food they were receiving to feed their pets and not themselves. Since we started Daffy's and got a great deal of press and recognition across the country, pet soup kitchens have been popping up in every state and our program is being modeled across the country. This is a great success to me and my group. We hope to expand Daffy's even more and have a better presence in every state we are in as well as others. Keep the emails coming. We will do our best to get one started in your area.
The Backyard Sanctuary - The BackyardSanctuarywascreated once I saw how many of our Daffy's customers were feeding feral cats. I didn't realize how many cats were out there and how many people were trying to care for them. The biggest problem was people feeding the cats but not knowing how to trap and where to get the cats spayed / neutered. The average spay / neuter price for a cat was $75 - $100. The customer also had to trap the cat, house the cat, transport the cat in the morning to the vet and then pick it up in the afternoon. Then they had to house the cat at least a couple days to make sure the cat was eating and feeling better before they could release it again. Just imagine if you had 10 cats, and a job and family to deal with. Most people wanted to do the right thing but the expense of the spay/neuter alone was enough besides all the work and time lost at work. When we saw the $75 wasn't the real problem but all the time and know how was. We started this program to help people understand about the feral cat population. We set up classes to help people learn how to trap and then care for the cats. We talked to local spay / neuter clinics and got the best prices to have the spay/neuter done. We even have traps that we can rent to them for a small fraction of the cost to go and buy one. If you still just don't have time or want to do the trapping yourself, we have programs and fee's that we can help you with your cats and your budget. In most cases, we can do everything including the spay/neuter cost for what you might pay to a regular vet. We mainly want to assist in having these cats spayed / neutered so we can start assisting in solving the sad situation of thousands of cats being destroyed each year due to overpopulation and no one to care for them.
Daisy's Doghouse - Daisy's Doghouse was created over years of research and disappointment that there were no found dog kennels on-site at homeless shelters or domestic violence shelters in Georgia. After searching for assistance, we finally found someone to set us up with a domestic violence group who saw the need as we did. After a short meeting and a visit at the shelter, we set plans to donate our first 600 sq. ft. dog kennel, 3 runs and doghouses on site at the shelter. We later found out, during construction, of a lady who attempted to enter a local facility and had dogs. She was turned down due to restrictions. She made the ultimate sacrifice to return to her dogs to keep them safe and with her. The shelter and I decided to dedicate the kennel in her name. A plaque was placed on the kennel with her name on it. This is a small thing for such a brave woman, but it shows that she will not be forgotten for what she did and the sad circumstances surrounding it. We hope to continue this program where we are needed.
Daffy's P.A.S.T. (Pet Assistance Service Team) - Daffy's PAST was set up to assist in the event of a natural disaster with temporary assistance to those in need. We have a 20' trailer that has crates, food, supplies, traps, tarps, and misc. gear to help when in need. In 2009, a flood hit Georgia like we haven't seen in years. In West Georgia, we have a branch of our pet soup kitchen. The town was basically under water. With the assistance of some supplies from Petco, we were there to help and assist in the situation. We coordinated groups in the area to assist us with trapping lost animals, providing temporary shelter, supplying thousands of pounds of pet food to those in need, as well as helping to vet injured and lost pets. We assisted with over 100 pets and there return or their adoption through a local group. We also worked with the local animal controls as well as being invited and attending the FEMA, GEMA, and VOAD meeting dealing with this disaster. We will continue to work with these and other organizations when it comes to natural disasters in our area.
Our programs are limited since we run on a very small budget. As most of you know, our funding goes a long way. We run all these programs on individual donations and local support. We do not receive government grants or corporate grants. We hope that by listing our programs, you will see more of what do and help to support the program that affects you the most or just support what you see needs it the most. We don't spend our money on fancy appearance. We spend our money on getting the job done and taking care of the animals. We spend our money on things like this:
Our fight to help keep pets alive and our fight against the worthless euthanasia of animals due to the lack of food, supplies, and basic education is an ongoing process. We need assistance to help create a solution. We are working with the animal controls on a program to where people adopting a pet can receive a free bag of pet food from us to help offset their adoption costs. We are also working with discount spay /neuter clinics on our "Fixin for Food" program in which people bringing their pets in for spay/neuter can receive a voucher to come to us for a free bag of food to help offset the cost of the surgery.
Our goal is not only to keep the pets at home and keep them healthy, but to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted pets and assist in the care of the hopeless pets in need at our rescues and animal controls.
Its also about our customers giving back to their community by donating 5 hours per month in return for the food they receive. We are providing a lot of food and a lot of volunteer hours back into our community every month. Thank you to the people who support us and thank you to the people who "Pay it Forward" back into their community.
Thank you for your continued support,
Tom Wargo
WE NEED SPONSORS TO COMMIT TO MONTHLY PLEDGES SO WE HAVE A BASE TO WORK WITH. WITH YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT, WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE ACROSS THE STATE AS WELL AS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND BECOME A MONTHLY SPONSOR.
