12/11/2025
Two cats. No food. A little girl. And the Mom who loved them all.
She balanced on one leg then two then back to one. Maybe not balancing as much as just a little bit of fidgeting. I think she was six.
Had never been to a pet food bank before. She held her Mom’s hand for support. Her eyes were huge as she took it all in.
Surrounded by what might have seemed like a million bags and boxes, all different shapes and sizes and colors. She was quiet. She said hello only when her Mom told her it was ok.
Her Mom had been crying but we’re not sure if the daughter knew that. Mom’s eyes were red, we saw it. Mom apologized for that. She said a few months ago everything was going well. They even adopted two bonded kitties. Their little family of four was solid.
Not invincible. But solid.
She felt they were strong enough to weather the storm.
But the storm came from all directions, and all at once. They were no longer solid. Even though Mom had a full time job, the tide turned fast. Feeding two cats was no longer possible. She said not only could they not afford the cat food, they could not afford the cat litter either.
Many details were shared. None of them needed to be shared, but for some reason, the Mom said she felt safe at The Pongo Fund and just started talking.
Mom called the group they adopted from to talk about returning the cats. It needed to happen soon. Since they were bonded, it meant they both needed to go back together. They told her they had no room, but she should call The Pongo Fund.
Mom stood in front of us and asked what kind of person returns two cats. She asked the question, but she wasn’t really looking for an answer.
She said she was a good person. And now she was a good person returning two cats. That’s why she had been crying. She did not yet know what she was going to tell her daughter.
The little girl had hop skipped her way across the floor to a bunch of bags of dog food that were in shiny bags with bright lettering. She seemed to be comfortable there, next to those bags. She was sort of talking to them.
A minute later Mom cried again when we told her The Pongo Fund could help. And she cried again when she saw the help we were able to provide. Her little girl ran to her side and asked what was wrong.
Mom said what Mom’s say. She said nothing was wrong.
We got them loaded up with food, litter and other stuff. Some really good other stuff they never saw coming. But mostly, we sent them off knowing their little family of four was safe. And that their two sweet kitty friends would grow old with them, all of them together. The dream for all families.
The little girl blew kisses as she left. She had no idea what had just occurred. She said she liked it at The Pongo Fund. She said she wanted to come back again and stay longer.
We told her we looked forward to seeing her again soon.
Maybe one day she’ll be running the place.
Being a Helper.
And this is why we Pongo.
Sit. Stay. Eat. Live.
thepongofund.org
The Pongo Fund / Portland, OR