San Francisco is My Home

28
Dec

Sad news for a city legend

Author: kris, Category: Charity, News, People, Volunteering

Pali Boucher is the woman who made me want to be a journalist. I’d already been freelancing for one newspaper for a couple of months when I interviewed her, but it was something I’d kind of fallen into and I wasn’t sure how much I was liking it.

Then I got assigned a story on Pali, the founder of Rocket Dog Rescue. Pali is an amazing firecracker of a woman: warm, articulate, energetic and fiercely caring, she’s dedicated her life to finding homes for dogs that other shelters would euthanize for being “unadoptable.”

Pali spent much of her childhood homeless, and when she grew up she suffered from a drug addiction. But when she got her first dog, Leadbelly, she knew she’d have to get clean to take care of him. The amazing part is that she did: she kicked her habit, found a home, and founded Rocket Dog. After talking to her I knew I wanted to stay a journalist so that I could go on meeting people like Pali.

Recently her apartment burned down, killing the three foster dogs inside, as well as her beloved talking parrot. It happened just before Christmas. The last I heard, she still wasn’t sure whether she’d be allowed to move back into the apartment.

If you want to help out Pali or Rocket Dog Rescue, either with a donation or by volunteering to foster a dog, visit the Rocket Dog website and click “volunteer” or “donate.”

18
Dec

Volunteer with Friends of the Elderly

Author: kris, Category: Charity, Holiday, Volunteering

If you’re still looking for some good you can do at this time of year, you might check out Little Brothers — Friends of the Elderly. Don’t let the name fool you: this organization welcomes all genders. Currently they’re looking for volunteers for their Christmas program. Those who sign up will spend a few hours on Christmas Day delivering a meal and hanging out with one of the many seniors the organization assists. I like these guys because their stated mission is to feed people’s spirits as well as their bodies. It’s not a religious thing; they just recognize that lonely people need companionship as well as a free lunch.

To sign up for this or one of their many other programs throughout the year, check out their website here.