A Fun Double Donation Day

(didn’t mean for photos to post twice! don’t know how to fix that!)

I wanted today to be a double donation day to make up for the rainy Sunday when I didn’t make one. I figured an animal-related donation, and a food pantry one would be good for today, so I had researched some options. When I googled ‘animal therapy training’ in Oklahoma, one of the sites that popped up was an organization called A New Leash on Life. They train service dogs for people who have a disability of some sort; therapy dogs for visits to people who are elderly or ill; and have also had prison inmates working with shelter dogs – providing a nice connection for everyone involved. They had a wish list of items on their website, so after talking with them, I went shopping for some of the items and ended up getting paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent, dog treats and dog toys. Then I drove to the facility and met Jill, one of the trainers. She offered to show me around, and talked more about the programs. They have a wonderful, large place that is also shared with another animal organization, and can be rented out to other groups too. It used to be an auto repair place, but they did a lot of work, and now have nice indoor space for the classes and training programs. So they’re doing a lot of good for people and dogs! There’s quite a waiting list for people who could benefit from having a service dog, and they work hard matching the right dog to the right person. There was a young man working there as well, and they told me how to access a long river trail by the Oklahoma River that wasn’t too far away. And Tula and I were ready for some walking! Their directions were good, and it was a beautiful day, and we ended up walking about 6 1/4 miles – there were lots of trains crossing bridges, a few oil rigs right along the river and some big grain elevators in the distance. Lots of the river bank was very neat and pretty, and it was a really nice walk. It was a little later than I thought when we got back to the car, and I knew I had to get going to beat the clock for Donatinon #2!

When I had looked into food pantries in the Oklahoma City area, I saw there was a food pantry at Chisholm Heights Baptist Church in the town of Mustang, southwest of Oklahoma City. And, someone would be there until 4:30 (not all food pantries are open every day – many are open just a couple days a week, or a few hours a day, which is why I always contact someone before going shopping.) So I picked them simply because I liked the name of the town, and they were open! They had said any non-perishable items would be good – and maybe be sure to include some pasta and spaghetti sauce. Luckily I had shopped earlier in the day for them also, but it took me a while to get there because I was on the east side of town, and they were off to the southwest, and there was the usual highway construction and all. And, my GPS doesn’t always like state highways as an address, so I had to call them a couple times for directions – they were very patient with me! I got there just a few minutes before they were closing up, and met the 2 ladies who were there, and they showed me the food collection box inside the church, and I got everything carried in. They wondered how I had found them, and we talked a bit about what I was doing. As we were all leaving, one of them said a very nice blessing for me – a total stranger who she had just met! – and that was special. I still had a little over 2 1/2 miles to walk before dark, and as I was leaving Mustang I saw what looked like a park, so I pulled off and got Tula out, and as I began to wander around, I realized I had come across a huge, beautiful community sports complex – complete with softball fields, an aquatic center, and a couple miles of trails around a pond that I found behind the softball areas. It was a perfect place for walking the last couple miles – lots of people were out enjoying the evening.