Day 5 - as Mexican groups gather to help
By Rich Crook, Best Friends Rapid Response Manager
Started the day bumping into the folks from the Discovery Channel. I took advantage of the opportunity to lobby for footage of the animal situation. They seemed very interested. They had just arrived and will be here for a week. We are supposed to hook up later this evening to chat further and have a soda.
At 10 am we met with the folks from APTA, then went with them to pick up dog food for the day (1,000 pounds) and delivered it to the volunteers. My fear is that we may exhaust local supplies of food prior to getting the truckloads we need shipped in.
At 11 am we had an appointment at a local radio station interested in interviewing us; from what I could tell it went well. I had Karen be our spokesperson.
Spent the rest of the day answering emails and making phone calls. I spoke to Elia from Mexico City; he is very helpful in working with local groups in his area.
I then spoke to Monica and Temara from REDAMMA--not sure what it stands for--but here’s the website
http://www.REDAMMA.com They have gathered two tons of food and additional supplies. It should be here Monday evening.
At 9 pm we met with Dulce from APTA, Brenda Rodriguez from Una Mejor Vida, which is "the association for a better life for animals” and Mvz. Xochitl A. Alimarano Santos from De Dogters, Xochitl, who runs a veterinary clinic in Villahermosa. They are asking how they can help and would like to work with Best Friends. We have a meeting set up for Tuesday morning to begin work out of the campus.
Tomorrow, I meet with Dr. Tellez to receive our specific staging area at the Campus. Once we know where exactly we can set up we can begin bringing volunteers and supplies in!
Photo: Rich Crook ------ End of Forwarded Message