Monday morning saw temperatures dip to a toasty 25 degrees, with an expected high for the day around 43. Thanks, Obama. This year’s arctic blast has no doubt already wreaked havoc on Austin’s human population (including its homeless population which is typically woefully under-prepared for this type of weather).
In addition to the humans, it’s also taking a toll on another group of creatures, the dogs at Austin Pets Alive! According to an APA! blog post, one of the shelter’s central heaters went out during the cold front, leaving many of the pups out in the cold. But never fear, Austin was here — with some quick action not only were all of the dogs in the affected area moved to warmer parts of the shelter or put in foster homes, the problem was met with a permanent solution and not just a band-aid.
In less than 24 hours Radiant Plumbing and Air Conditioning offered to replace the heater at a generous discount, and with the funds donated by the community within that period they were able to meet that funding goal. They hope to have the unit replaced this week, reports an update to the original blog post, along with a big thanks and shout out to how amazing the community is.
So, Austin, we call upon you to continue this spirit of giving to help out other local nonprofits. Have a favorite charity that we should add? Let us know in the comments!
- Donate food and/or funds to Central Texas Food Bank (formerly Capital Area Food Bank).
- The downtown (501 E. 8th) Salvation Army shelter, as well as the Austin Shelter for Women and Children (4523 Tannehill) are full of women and children, and they needs coats of all sizes for all ages, according to a Salvation Army rep. Please drop these off as soon as you can!
- Front Steps/Austin Resource Center for the Homeless: drop off hygiene items, new white socks, toothbrushes, and monetary donations to the downtown ARCH location (500 E 7th St).
Note: As of publishing time we are waiting to hear from Front Steps regarding other donations being dropped off. We will update as soon as we can. - Donate items to help keep the animals at Austin Zoo warm: Principal Zookeeper Donald Gytri tells KVUE the zoo “is in need of additional items such as small electric heaters, heat lamp bulbs, linens, blankets, or pillow cases. Heaters and heat lamps are especially important for animals like the Galapagos Tortoise. Gytri says the cold weather can cause problems for them…Old hay for bedding and food items like meats and vegetables is also needed.”
Featured photo by Flickr user vagawi, Creative Commons licensed
