Mimi Ausland, 13, reads the heartbreaking emails every day from shelters across the country begging for food. “Some of the shelters were literally going to close their doors, they would have to move the dogs and cats or they would have to be euthanized,” says Mimi, founder of freekibble.com, a website that donates food to homeless pets. In need of more food to donate, Mimi and her dad, Kelly, came to Halo for help. And help came. Boy did it come, in the form of 46,000 pounds of dry Spot’s Stew to 24 rescues and shelters in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida on Wednesday, and another 19,000 pounds earlier in the month to 13 other rescues. “We received all 6,000 pounds of Halo food today, and it felt like Christmas,” writes Tricia Sebes, Volunteer Coordinators of the McKamey Animal Care & Adoption Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Says Mimi: “Halo and freekibble are literally saving lives. It’s pretty unbelievable, we’re making such an impact.”

AN AMAZING GRASSROOTS EFFORT

Another hero in this tale is Palena Dorsey, a legal secretary and founder of Sanctuary Animal Refuge in Clewiston, FL. Dorsey, who for the last year has received food from freekibble.com for the 160 dogs and 100 cats at her rescue, contacted and coordinated the two dozen rescue organizations to pick up their food at certain drop-off points in Georgia and Florida on August 26th. Some got up at 2 a.m. and drove five hours to pick up their Halo Spot’s Stew.

“There is a huge need right now, with the economy the way it is, rescues are in dire need,” says Dorsey, who instead of giving the donation to just a few groups, wanted to spread the wealth among as many rescues as possible.

“People don’t understand that food is the biggest cost to any rescue, this makes a huge difference,” she says. “Everybody is thrilled. Not only do they have a week to breathe easier but the dogs are getting the best food there is.”

Despite the tens of thousands of pounds of kibble, it’s only going to last a week, says Dorsey, but that week can enable the rescues in the most dire need to find other sources of food. And as Mimi points out, the more people who play freekibble.com and follow @freekibble and @halopets on Twitter, the more food will be donated. Already, some 50,000 to 60,000 people play freekibble per day.

Rescues particularly helped this week by Halo included Forgotten Canines in Georgia, with 120 dogs to feed and no food. “Companies used to give food away and they aren’t doing it,” says Dorsey. “And at the end of the day you still have the dogs, you’re not going to kill them.”

Another recipient of Halo’s gift was Angel Dog Rescue, run by a woman in her 80’s who depends entirely on donations to survive. “Donations, they have dried up. No one is making donations,” says Dorsey. “There are the best rescues around. People are struggling to feed their own children and when companies like Halo and young women like Mimi are making this possible, do you know what it’s like? The best way to say it, if these companies continue to make contributions like this, dogs won’t die, and dogs can be healed because of this great food.”

Following are a list of the rescues who received food:

Aussie Rescue Group
Porter, IN

Humane Society of Dickson County
Dickson, TN

2nd Chance Animal Sanctuary
Warrior, AL

Town of Troy Animal Services
Tory, IN

A New Leash on Life
Lebanon, TN

Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby Cty
Memphis, TN

Safe Haven Animal Shelter
Scottsboro, AL

McKamey Animal Shelter
Chattanooga, TN

Coffee County Humane Society
Morrison, TN

FAMA (Fannin Animal Medical Åccount)
Blue Ridge, GA 30513

Southern HOPE Humane Society
Roswell, GA

Homeward Bound Pet Rescue
Ellijay, GA

Catcoosa Animal Control
Ginggold, GA

Friends to the Forlorn Pitbull Rescue
Dallas, GA

Lifeline Animal Rescue
Avondale Estates, GA

Puppy Love Rescue
Covington, GA

Douglas County Animal Control
Douglasville, GA

Paulding County Animal Control
North Dallas, GA

Forgotten K-9’s
Commerce, GA

Angel Dog Rescue
Georgetown, GA

Donna Long Fosters
Stockbridge, GA

Oconee Animal Control
Bishop, GA

Heard County Animal Control
GA

Superior Mutts
Orlando, FL

Another Chance Rescue
Bunnell, FL

Inverness Humane Society
Inverness, FL

Akita Rescue of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL

Friends of Jacksonville Humane
Jacksonville, FL

Sabbath Memorial Rescue
Miami, FL.

Sanctuary Animal Rescue
Clewiston, FL

Allen Babcock Dog & Cat Rescue, Inc.
Plantation, FL.

Pets in Distress
Davie, FL.

Bright Hope Animal Rescue
South Bay, Florida

Abandoned Pet Rescue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Cocker Rescue of Florida

Clewiston Animal Control
Clewiston, FL

Caloosa Humane Society
La Belle, FL

The Cat Bible author Tracie Hotchner blogged about this great testimonial from Charlotte in Texas, “who worries herself sick when her kitties won’t eat,” according to Tracie.

She offered a trick for kitties that won’t eat: use Halo Liv-a-Littles treats. She said, “I took some and processed it into powder and put on her raw chicken and she ate every bite. WooHoo!” Click here to read the rest of Charlotte’s letter on Tracie’s blog.

It’s a story we hear fairly often here. In fact, my own cat Sterling was fading fast with health issues and no appetite at all. But he loves Liv-a-Littles protein treats, so we did the same thing Charlotte suggests – and it saved Sterling’s life.

Here’s a time and money-saving tip for those in similar situations: try Halo Dinner Party rather than crushing the Liv-a-Littles treats. It’s essentially the same ingredients (almost all pure butcher-quality meat or wild fish), but Dinner Party is already in powder form, and about half the price of the whole treats. Enjoy!

There are varying opinions about the best food for your dog or cat. Your vet may say one thing and you may read another on the internet. In today’s vast landscape of pet nutrition, one thing is certain—there are definitely ingredients that should be avoided for the best health of your dog and cat.

Click here to read Dr. Spector’s list of Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid and tips for making better choices for your pet.

Dr. Donna Spector will be on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat radio show today (Wednesday, August 26) at 8:00 PM ET. CAT CHAT is a weekly, live, hour-long show on the Martha Stewart Channel, #112 of Sirius Satellite radio and XM channel #157. The broadcast time is 8-9 P.M. Eastern Standard Time (5-6 P.M. Pacific Time). It is a call-in show with an audience of over 18 million subscribers across America and into Canada. Host Tracie Hotchner is the author of The Cat Bible and The Dog Bible.

Blogger Gorgeous and Green’s dog could not find a food that would sit well with his stomach. Until, that is, she discovered Halo:

“…I thought I would give it a try,” she writes. “Once my dog started eating this food, I noticed a big difference right away. He was a healthy and happy dog. He no longer has fatigue, or Tummy troubles, or vomiting. He now has more energy to do his normal daily exercise, and he looks and feels Great!”

Here is the link to the entire blog post.