Man Donates More Than $21,000 in Change to Benefit Cats

A retired Bradenton, Florida man has donated more than $21,000 in spare change he has collected over the past 10 years to an organization dedicated to the welfare of cats.

Rick Snyder’s whopping donation to the Gulf Shore Animal League is making news and is the organization’s largest single donation ever, but the donation is just part of Rick’s ongoing efforts to help his area’s cats.

Gulf Shore Animal League volunteers went to Rick’s home on Tuesday to collect the donation which weighed in at 2,500 pounds – he had literally collected a ton of change!

Rick leaves home every morning at about 4:30 a.m. and walks about 45 miles a week. He scavenges an average of $5.60 in change per day, finding it in car wash vacuums and vending machines. He visits and cares for feral cat colonies on his route, gets cats spayed and neutered, and has found homes for about 100 of them.

Rick has rehomed many of the cats with tenants in the 48 unit Burgundy Condominiums that he owns, and joked about his reputation with residents, saying “People do avoid me now, if they see me coming.”

In addition to the many cats he has helped and rehomed, Rick cares for 5 cats of his own.

Rick told the Tampa Tribune he picks up towels that have been thrown away, wash them and donates them, and he collects plastic bottles from trash bins for recycling.

“It astounds me how wasteful people are,” he said.

Gulf Shore Animal League spays and neuters about 2,000 cats a year and finds homes for about 250 cats. The organization is active in TNR and writes about its mission, saying: “Gulf Shore Animal League is on a Mission to end the killing of companion animals as a means of population control in Manatee County. Spay & neuter is the answer!

“We realize that without an effective TNR program to control the over-population of cats we, as a community, will never be able to stop, or effectively curb, the appalling practice of killing healthy cats and kittens at Animal Services as the method of population control.”

http://www.lifewithcats.tv/2014/10/02/man-donates-more-than-21000-in-change-to-benefit-cats/

 

This is a lovely story. Talk about a man who is devoted to the cause of helping cats. Here he is someone who isn't rich but figured out a way in order ot find the money to donate. He has a valid point spare change can start to add up. He is also right that people don't realize just what they are losing when they lose spare change, it is wasteful. His effort to help the Gulf Shore Animal League will no doubt help many stray cats and help in their efforts to keep the cat population down.

 

Yeah, a lot people tend to overlook the value and power of spare change! This man sounds like a very wonderful and resourceful person I hope things continue going well for him