While cleaning up an abandoned, overgrown property, my friend and I found a dog that someone had bagged up and dumped in the driveway. I've been mowing overgrown lawns for five years and I've never had anything like that happen. Animal control came out, checked him for a microchip, and took really good care of him. But I couldn't stop thinking about how that dog should have never been in that situation in the first place.

So I called Christy at Wichita Animal Action League, a 501(c)(3) I've worked closely with over the past couple of years. They're the people doing the work that prevents things exactly like this from happening.

Here's what WAAL does in our community:

Free pet food handouts every other week — around 250,000 pounds a year to Wichita families

Mobile vet clinics in neighborhoods with the least access to care, partnering with veterinarians including K-State's veterinary school

Vaccines, medical care, and supplies for owners who are doing their best but hit a rough patch

What stood out to me most is that they don't just help the animal. They help the family. Christy told me they pride themselves on non-judgmental service, meeting people where they're at, so nobody has to feel afraid to ask for help. When a paycheck doesn't stretch far enough or an unexpected bill shows up, that's exactly when a pet is most at risk of being surrendered, neglected, or worse. WAAL steps in before it gets to that point.

Every dollar raised here goes directly to Wichita Animal Action League so they can put more food, more vaccines, and more veterinary care into the neighborhoods that need it most.

To get things started, I'm personally donating the first $1,000, and the board of my nonprofit, SB Mow It Forward, voted to match the first $5,000 donated by all of you.

Even five or ten dollars goes a long way here. If you can give, thank you. If you can't, sharing this helps just as much.

Thank you all for watching, and thank you for caring about this one.

SB Mowing... OUT!