Taking It To The Streets

Rich Delights is no longer but Lori and Shira Rich have an amazing project going on and we hope you will follow and participate!We are working on Non Profit Status and wille ventually have a new non profit baking business called Sweets To the Streets...Stay tuned!

There was a local newspaper article done about the project as well as an article in the examiner.com about one of the street people needing to rehome a pet. PEOPLE magazine sent an email considering tthe work for a Heroes Among US piece.This is just the beginning so we hope you will come along on this journey.

July 4th Front Page-Local Edition of The Press Enterprise

Examiner.Com Article

Subscribe to Lori Rich's Public Updates on Facebook

How You Can Help-The Wish List

Sweet Service

Sometimes so much is going on that it seems impossible to sum things up into a few short paragraphs and as a result months pass and nothing gets written. Thankfully nothing written does not mean nothing is getting done. Although we have not been able to volunteer as often as we would like to alongside KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY whenever we do volunteer we like to wear our KAAC shirts and make it known who we are representing and what they are all about. This past December we were fortunate to  volunteer at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter while they were doing a huge holiday event in conjunction with Best Friends Animal Society Los Angeles and a lot of other good people. My daughter was thrilled when Amanda Seyfried showed up with her family and a friend. They all wanted to help and learn more about shelter animals. It is always wonderful when a celebrity shows up without any paparazzi or anyone else trying to make a publicity stunt out of what they are doing. Amanda and the people with her did what we were all doing there and it made me have that much more respect for her not just as an actress but as a compassionate human being.

    One of the things my teen has made me very aware of is all the stray dogs running around nearly everywhere we travel. There was a time when I drove past them in my usual hurry figuring someone else could help them.It is so time consuming and heart breaking chasing these poor creatures as they run in fear not knowing or understanding what we are trying to do for them. I am to the point where I feel it is my responsibility to do what I can and invest as much time as my day truly allows which always varies. One day I spent five hours coaxing a dog with my neighbor and she is now the proud guardian of that beautiful dog. He went to the pound but nobody came for him so she went back and adopted him. The last dog I picked up was a little 6 pound male I named Chance. He was running down a busy street with a torn urine soaked rope dragging behind him. Our friends said they would foster him for two weeks while I tried to place him but he stole their hearts and after a few days they decided to keep him. Chance now lives in a home with 3 boys their Mom and Dad. He adores them and is living the life he was meant to have all because I took the time to stop my car when everyone else passed him.

Something else that always grabs my attention while driving is the number of "Street People" wandering around with their beloved dogs. I try to keep blankets, dog food,treats, waters, people food and toiletries in my vehicle so I have something to share with them. I am in awe of people who have so little yet share what they do have with their furry companions. This past week I stopped and introduced myself to a few of these people and met their furbabies. After them telling me how hard it is to have non licensed dogs when the police come around I told them I would use my facebook page to get pledges to help them spay, neuter, vaccinate and license their animals. I picked a woman and her boyfriend and their two dogs to start. I was so excited to have raised enough funds to take the dogs in and there were promises for more which would pay for their vaccinations and licensing.  Each time I would see this woman she would run up and hug me but today there was a misunderstanding with her believing I was trying to "force" her to neuter the male dog and she stormed down the street and refused to speak to me again. I am not giving up but I am stepping back and will continue to help where I can in hopes that when Mary comes around I can spay her female dog and get the vaccinations regardless of whether she ever allows me to neuter the male. I will continue checking out organizations I can utilize for helping anyone on the street who can use a hand but especially those who choose to take on the added responsibility of an animal. Much of society has given up on them and maybe rightfully so in certain situations but I cannot turn away now.

Last but not least is business. How wonderful it will be the day I am taking in enough to really make a difference through donations. During the past year KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY and

RICH DELIGHTS have done a great job Paying It Forward in many places that needed the help. Rich Delights will continue donating 10% of all sales to KAAC and if our new Paw Pops are ordered they get 15% of all sales from them. It is a win win situation. People get delicious baked goods and treats and money is either donated or used to buy things for animals in need. Rich Delights is:The Treat That Gives Back~And I will continue Baking4You!

Sweetness and Sorrow

I have not posted here recently because I was waiting for some big news to share and there did not seem to be any. In the mean time as I look back over the past few months I see that so much has happened and though it may not qualify as breaking news it certainly is a series of events leading me to the next leg of my journey in both the business of baking and the business of animal rescue. Since my last post there have been holidays and occasions which have given me a chance to bake. Baking is still a passion and being able to donate even small amounts of money to Kids Against Animal Cruelty has been a blessing. My goal for Rich Delights is to see it prosper in order to to leave something for my children as well as the opportunity to make a difference in the present.

One of the most rewarding things I got to do recently was visit a dog my teen and I helped get off the streets in February. I spoke of her in a previous post. We named her Precious.She was rescued by Stacy Parmer of The Barking Lot. They named her Gina and then changed it to Geisha.We went to visit her in El Cajon where she is sort of the mascot for the facility in which she lives. We came bearing baked goods, blankets from our Synagogue's youth group and some dog treats we had collected. We were so impressed by what we saw there and even more impressed not only by how happy Geisha was but by how happy she makes those around her. We were so grateful that we took the time to run after her months before when she was a stray running down the streets of West Covina. I don't think I will ever be able to just drive past another stray without stopping to do whatever I can to help. They count on humans to do this for them and I don't plan to be a disappointment.

When I am not baking or taking care of parental obligations I fill my days with activities that make a difference in the lives of shelter or rescue animals. My teen and I still spend most of our free time on the week ends volunteering at adoptions outside the Mira Loma PETCO. Our  friends with Angels 'n' Paws Rescue have many dogs, mostly pit bulls, in boarding and we are trying to help get them out. We volunteer with other groups as well but this one is more local and easier for us to attend.

Last month we did something that was both purposeful and fun.
 Devin Fox and Lou Wegner are friends who have acted together and worked together to network dogs on facebook. Devin is a teen singer who has a hit single out. Lou Wegner is an actor and the founder of Kids Against Animal Cruelty. They formed a duo to make a music video to benefit animals in need. My daughter Shira has been a volunteer alongside Lou at events and also represents his group here in Riverside where we live. She was asked if she wanted to have a small part in the video.On Father's Day we drove to the Baldwin Park Shelter so she could film her scenes.It was a day filled with work and play and in the end there will be good coming out of a collaboration amongst teens.

The past couple of months have also found us chasing stray dogs in town. Not sure why they keep finding us but they do and once we see there is one needing help we cannot turn away. We saw a post on facebook about a stray pair of pit bulls running near the river trail and while we were out searching for them we came across two pre teen boys walking with an 80 pound pit bull trailing behind them.When we stopped to ask if he was their dog they informed us that he was not and so began our adventure with a dog we called "Bubba". He was picked up by animal control services and listed as non adoptable at the shelter. They said he growled at another dog at intake but when we went to plead for his life we found they had already changed his status and he was now adoptable. While working to find a rescue for him we made daily trips, often twice a day, to the fields where the female river trail stray had been rescued by our friend Amber Houck. A few weeks of leaving food and water we noticed the food was sitting untouched and began searching listings for the shelter. Sure enough he was there. During this time we had a bit of a miracle as the owners of "Bubba' finally showed up at the shelter and took him home.It seemed bittersweet as we grew to love him and were going to miss him yet so grateful that this would be one less euthanized pit bull.

Things were not so good for our male river trail stray. The dog who had limped and eluded us for weeks would spend the remainder of his life isolated in a kennel with no chance of adoption. His only hope was a rescue and as hard as I tried to make that happen I failed. I asked to meet with him when we went to the shelter but was denied access due to his fearful and apprehensive nature. I wanted to see him but nobody would bend the rules. My last memory of him is sitting at the far edge of the field where I could not approach him. He is no longer on this earth and I will always feel that I failed him. However, his destruction made me more determined to fight harder for those that cannot speak for themselves. For weeks I worked to keep him alive and now I live with the realization that all I did was pro long his life until animal services caught him. I wish things had been different and the sadness is overwhelming but if I had it to do again I would not change a thing. It is always worth the struggle even when we lose in the end. His female companion turned out to be a sweet dog and I began a new friendship with the wonderful woman who rescued her. It is time to move on and honor the memory of the animal I could not save by not giving up on the next one that needs someone to champion for them. The weeks have been exhausting. The ups and downs include the emotional rewards of animals going to forever homes and the emotional devastation of losing so many  to euthanization.

My wish is that some day all the cages will be empty and there will no longer be a need for animal rights activists to point their efforts in this direction but we are far from that happening and unless people wake up and understand the reality of what is happening in shelters then things will continue on a downward spiral. The only relief I feel is knowing that my teen and so many like her work hard to educate others on the need for adoption, fostering, spaying and neutering. The children of today are the adults of tomorrow and if they can open their minds to the truth then the future will hold something better for our animals....I am not sure when the time of change will occur or if it will occur in my lifetime but  I will always march on through the sweetness and the sorrow.
Last but not least! On July 2nd there was a  meeting in Beverly Hills with the incredible Laura Keats. This meeting was for Southern California women who volunteer or work in animal rescue. Not sure what is going to happen with this but I will be sure to update you in the future and no matter what happens..... I will continue .....baking4you!

Sweetness Shows and Grows

Valentine's Day week end turned out to be a special one. On the 13th of February I drove my daughter and a friend towards West Covina to volunteer with Animal Advocates Alliance and KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY at the Baldwin Park Animal Shelter. We were going to help with the Furry Valentine Event. The teens were going to meet up with Lou Wegner and I was bringing Rich Delights for the bake sale made up of treats from many volunteers. All proceeds would go to the shelter.

When we were approximately one black from the shelter we noticed a female pit bull running down the street. She had no collar and her ears and tail looked chopped.We were not sure if she was pregnant or had her puppies. We soon saw our friend Elaine Seamans hanging a sign for the event we were going to. 

She gave us some treats for the dog and called animal services as we took off in the car and on foot. The teens ran and I drove. After a couple of blocks the dog got herself stuck in a fenced area and the animal control officer was able to get her safely out and into his truck. We did it!! A life was saved and we had not even made it to the shelter yet. The problem then became what her future might hold. Baldwin Park is a high kill shelter and a pit bull does not stand a great chance for adoption.

 After intake we played with her for over an hour. She was loving and playful and we were so happy. As the days passed and we realized she was not going to be claimed her fate became worse.One week later we went to the shelter and helped with networking photos and videos headed up by Ric Browde and his wife Holly.We played with the dog that we  named "Precious" and they named "Gina"......Soon after I began asking for donations or pledges in hopes of a rescue coming forward . Donations and pledges started coming in from friends and people I talk to on facebook . As her time was running out  Sasha Abelson told me that she was being rescued by The Barking Lot.

The next day my daughter Shira and I drove to the shelter and then on to Pasadena where she would be fostered for the night. The following day she would be taken on a transport to San Diego where her new life would begin. They are caring for her as she in need of surgery on her rear legs but once she heals they will help her find a forever home. What started out as a day to help with shelter animals and a bake sale turned into a wonderful adventure of saving a life from the streets. I am so grateful we stopped for her and even more grateful for the village that gave her a new life.

So many of my responsibilities took a back seat to this and I had a lot of catching up to do. I was also trying to figure out how I could further help with the surgery bills for Precious~Gina. I normally give 10% of sales to KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY but after speaking to them we decided that the money would go to The Barking Lot. Soon after we decided this I received an email from Rabbi Singer of Riverside Temple Beth El with an order for Purim gift bags that the Religious School students would be bringing to some of the elderly congregants for the holiday. How wonderful that there would be treats for many of the shut ins who are unable to make it to the Synagogue as much as they'd like to and at the same time there would be money to add to the donations. Rich Delights would bake and the results would be that people and animals would benefit. This is what life should be about~Doing what we love and loving what we do and always looking for ways we can give back for all that we have. Regardless of what we have there are always those with less and it is our obligation as human beings to care.

 A few weeks ago a man held the door open for me while I was walking into the post office. I said thank you but did not really pay him any attention. He told me to have a nice day and I did just that. The next time I went I noticed this man also had a wife and 2 dogs. Sometimes he asks for money and sometimes he doesn't. I always give him something if I have it. This past week I shared some dog treats given to me by the Riverside County Animal Shelter as well as some sample sized bags of food that I picked up from a local pet store. This couple wanders around and cannot carry much. I told them that I might not always have money to give but I will keep treats and dog food in my car and will always stop and ask if they need anything. It is so simple to do this yet it never crossed my mind in the past when I saw homeless people and their pets. Funny how ideas pop into our heads when we are ready to receive them.

I want to end this with a bittersweet story of a kind security guard on one of the movie lots who had a dog that took a bullet meant for him and saved his life. The man's name is Nicholas and his dog was Doc Holiday.Turned out Doc had cancer and Lou Wegner asked that we team up to send money to help defray some of the medical treatments. When Lou and his mom Diana went to give Nicholas the money they were met with a man very upset because the dog had passed away and he did not have money to go pick up the cremated remains. So, instead of the money going to help heal the dog it was used so this man could bring his beloved pet home to rest. I am sorry we could not help him with the cancer treatments but so grateful we could give him back his best and only real friend.

"Chag Sameach" to my Jewish friends and I'm asking that you use the holiday of Purim as a reason to give something where needed~As I look for new ways to open my heart and expand my social consciousness I will also keep opening those oven doors as I continue baking4you!

Sweet Show of Support

As Valentine's Day approaches Rich Delights is preparing some very special sweet treats that are not normally on the order menu. They must be custom ordered but we are happy to offer Smores on a Stick and Candy Hearts which are available in decorative containers and packaging. It is a way to add something extra to our already scrumptious cookies and breads. We look forward to a busy holiday.

In the midst of time limited menu ideas and shopping for holiday themed items there has been plenty going on in the name of animals. On a personal note my family has grown with the addition of a fourth and final furry member. If we are going to go out and advocate for adopting then we need to continue to walk the walk in our personal lives. All of our dogs are rescues and they are all spayed and neutered. We will not be doing any fostering now but we will continue travelling around and working with different rescue groups at their adoption events. It is usually myself, my daughter and as many teens as we can fit into our vehicle and they come to represent KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY a group founded by child actor Lou Wegner.

A couple of weeks ago we went out with the amazing Royce Bordes as she represented Angels N Paws with another group called Fur Babies. We have volunteered with her since in front of PETCO in Mira Loma where she and her pit rescues from Angels n Paws as well as Diamonds in the Ruff will be every Saturday and Sunday from 11-3. In any case, the event was called Pizza and Pits and there was a television crew filming for the show Pit Boss. We worked with our own group of pit bulls and also met many wonderful rescues.One of my favorites is Angel City Pits which we have gotten to know through the talented and beautiful Stephanie Draven. Stephanie and her husband AJ Draven had two of their foster pit bulls with them. Both were rescued and had horrible cases of mange which they treated and now these dogs are healthy and happy and ready for forever homes. The day went well and we look forward to watching the event as part of the Pit Boss show when it airs.

The following day we drove back to Los Angeles to volunteer with Stephanie Levy the founder of Animal Advocates Alliance. I have mentioned them on many occasions because we are with them the most and love everyone who comes out to work with them. There is a wonderful core group of dedicated people who come out week after week to support them and the animals they bring in from the Baldwin Park Shelter. These are animals coming from a high kill shelter and they are driven to Pan Pacific Park where adults and teens do what they can to showcase these animals in hopes of them becoming someones life long friend. It is always so rewarding to see an animal walk away on a leash with its new guardian or family.

I suppose it seems like we are doing the same things we have been talking about for months and that's because we are. RICH DELIGHTS will continue to offer Traditional and Vegan treats in hopes of building a business that is about to celebrate its second birthday at the end of March. As far as the animal business goes I guess we will continue doing what we are doing until people begin to understand the severity of the overpopulation epidemic and do something about it. When breeders and pet stores stop their selfish selling and people spay and neuter their pets then maybe our work load will lessen. However, until there is a cease in animal abuse, the killing in shelters stops and all the shelter cages are empty we will continue the fight accompanied by an ongoing donation of a percentage of sales to KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY while still enjoying ....... baking4you.



Dog Gone Magical

November and December are busy months for Rich Delights and my daughter and I did not get to volunteer as much as we like to. We celebrate Chanukah in our home and the holiday was very early this year. Chanukah lasts for 8 nights and our tradition has changed over the past couple of years. Money we have that might have been used for exchanging gifts now goes to charities we feel passionate about. The donations we make may not be enough to evoke any major worldly changes but we still feel good knowing that we made a choice to give. Each night we pick a different cause.Whether we celebrate Christmas or Chanukah or any other holiday during these winter months there is always an opportunity to reflect on our blessings and give what we can.

One of my most cherished donations this year will be given on behalf of Rich Delights and KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY. A percentage of sales ranging from 10% to 20% has been collected recently and will be going to a security guard at one of the studio lots. Lou Wegner, founder of KAAC, was so touched by the love and courage of this man whose dog took a bullet for him and saved his life. Later it was learned that the dog was very ill and it is expensive to sustain his regimen. After the holidays I will give a money order to Lou which he can present as a small token of letting someone else know that people care. Rich Delights Paying It Forward with KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY. If each of us found someone or something to partner with just think of all the good we could create!

Speaking of good, I want to end this with a success story of hope and determination. In September  at an Animal Advocates Alliance adoption at Pan Pacific Park we drove to Los Angeles with the expected temperatures to go well into the 100's. I had my daughter and two of her friends with me.Turned out to be 105 degrees and the volunteers and the dogs shared a long hot day together. Nobody complained about the heat itself so much. The complaints were about the fact that the high temperatures were keeping people inside their nice air conditioned homes and not at the park where we were. This meant few adoptions and at the end of the day a very sweet Pit Bull we named Penelope and three other Pits went back on the animal control truck to the shelter. My daughter fell in love with Penelope and we both cried when we had to lift her on to the truck. The good news was the promise that she was given a few extra days of life.

I guess you could say I became obsessed with networking this dog. A child's love for something makes a parent work that much harder to see it materialize. In the long run I was not the person who found the rescue for this dog nor was I the person who fostered the dog. Those honors go to Sondra Arrache and Stephanie Draven. However, I have since gotten to know these amazing ladies and they have inspired me to push myself even more especially for the Pit Bull which is a breed most discriminated against these days.Penelope took a long trip from Los Angeles to Oregon and after a few weeks Sondra found this dog now called Ona a wonderful family.

Yesterday Ona and her "brother" Tommy a Jack Russel Terrier were in Chula Vista visiting their California family. My daughter pretty much begged me to travel the 100 miles to see Ona now in her new life. When we arrived I actually got a little choked up as her Mom Karama had her on a leash to greet us as we got out of the car....People wonder why we do what we do for these discarded animals. If I had any doubts at all they all disappeared when Ona jumped up on us and gave us huge doggie kisses....She was not in Oregon but she was HOME! It felt Magical!

May all who read this and even those who don't be blessed in the upcoming year 2011 with giving of themselves in a way that will have a positive impact on all living things. I believe that each day we are fortunate enough to wake up is equivalent to celebrating a New Year. We don't have to wait for the calendar to tell us it is time for a change. I look forward to a sweet successful year with Rich Delights and donating a percentage of sales to KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY. While I continue working to make a difference I will still be...... baking4you!

Dog Gone Productive

This past month has been filled with good things. Business has been picking up as the weather has been cooling off. People are looking to sit down with some of our cookies and breads to accompany their cocoa and coffee and it has also been the start of the holiday season. It is always a blessing when there are orders to fill as without business there is no funding for much of anything. The alliance with KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY has presented opportunities to Pay It Forward not only with physically helping through volunteering but also with the donations Rich Delights is giving from the proceeds of every order. The money has gone to buy blankets, sweaters and toys for shelter dogs and has also helped to chip in on vet bills. Goals have been put into perspective with our joint venture. Participating in the materializing is a gift  for those involved and for those without a voice.

KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY is not just a facebook page or a group of children in Los Angeles. Although we spend time driving to Los Angeles to help them the idea is to spread actions and words across the globe. At the end of October there was an annual adoption event in Riverside,California called DOGTOBER FEST. It has become a joint effort between a local group started by Jennifer Dabney called DEATH ROW DOGZ and the Riverside Animal Services. It is graciously hosted at Skip Fordyce Harley Davidson which is owned by Jennifer and her husband Jay.We were fortunate to be a part of that day and watched many dogs go to forever homes.

The following week end we went to volunteer at the BEST FRIENDS PET SUPER ADOPTION run by the amazing Robin Harmon at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. We were there with  ANIMAL ADVOCATES ALLIANCE run by the incredible Stephanie Levy. There were hundreds of pets looking for homes from rescues and shelters.It was mind boggling how many animals were there and realizing that this was just a tiny percentage of the many discarded pets from all around the area. This was the poster day for why spaying and neutering is so imperative and why the puppy mills and the breeders must stop adding to the problem.

On the 16th of November I had the honor of being interviewed for THE LET'S DINE OUT SHOW with Allan Borgen and his co host. I arrived at the radio station 590KTIE with samples of traditional and vegan cookies and breads and they taste tested while we were on air. I was a little nervous at first being that Allan has been doing this for so many years and worried that he might not be as impressed with Rich Delights as I had hoped he would be but both men enjoyed their treats. The interview was aired on November 20th and the pod cast is now available on their web site. Not too bad considering it was my first radio interview.

The final event we participated in this month was the LOVING ALL ANIMALS 2010 Super Pet Adoption Round Up held in Indio, California. We went with Royce Bordes and DIAMONDS IN THE RUFF. The event was held at the beautiful Jackalope Ranch with rescue groups and shelters showcasing their animals for two days. There was a reporter from Channel 2 news there and my daughter even made it into an article in the online version of a local newspaper as she sat in a cage full of adorable puppies. It was another productive day in which we got to participate in saving lives and watching a lot of happy tail wagging going on accompanied by smiling faces of adults and children alike.
There is always something we can do to make this world a better place for the animals, the environment and the people residing in it. While the search for solutions continues just know that I will be baking4you!

Dog Gone Goodness

 I have known for a couple of months that I needed to find a way to tie my business into giving back somewhere and it was decided that animal advocacy is a passion I have the ability to work with. I have mentioned Lou Wegner and his group KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY which drew my daughter and I from Riverside to Los Angeles. I have also mentioned ANIMAL ADVOCATES ALLIANCE which is the group we went to volunteer with.

At first we thought it might be a one time volunteer day but when we got there we were so impressed by the dedication of all the people who were giving up their Sundays to try and save the lives of the animals coming from the high kill Baldwin Park shelter. Over the past few months Lou and his mom Diana have become like family to us and we have spent quite a bit of time together at and away from Pan Pacific Park where the adoptions are held. Saving animals has introduced us to so many people we never would have had the opportunity to know and care for. One of the things the Wegner's and I have agreed upon is that Rich Delights is going to support KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY from this day forward.

We will continue volunteering and networking the dogs society has tossed away like trash but more than that we are collaborating as a team. A percentage of sales will give something to KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY so that a donation can be made to help where needed. This month there was a small donation of blankets and crate liners given to the Baldwin Park shelter because it is getting colder and so many of the animals there could benefit from the comforrt. The kids group is not yet a non profit so there is no direct financial support but I will tell them what they earned from Rich Delights profits each month and then it will be decided what is to be done with the money. Sometimes it may go to help pay a vet bill or to help rescue an animal. No telling where it will go as of now but one thing is for sure...we have begun paying it forward together!
The more Rich Delights earns the more funds there will be to work with....This is the beginning of something that is going to turn into something amazing. I can feel just feel it and I know the feeling is shared with some close friends. When there are good people supporting us there is nothing we cannot accomplish!... I will continue being an Animal Rights Knight and I will also keep baking4you!

Dog Gone Necessary

I totally understand the fact that I need to devote time to my business if it is to become a money making entity but when I do not have orders to fill I am consumed with thoughts of the thousands of animals that get euthanized daily because people do not spay or neuter their pets or because they discard their pets like yesterday's trash. Don't get me started on the hoarders and the filth that put dogs together to fight with each other.With the overpopulation of these animals the rescuers have their hands full as do the shelters. There are only so many people and so much room able to accomodate animals with nowhere to go. My teen daughter is very passionate about all of the pets that need forever homes and the two of us have teamed together along with others who care. We know we may barely make a dent in this problem but any life we can help save is worth every moment we try to assist in that outcome.

 At the end of August we went back to Pan Pacific Park in Los Angeles to team up with KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY, ANIMAL ADVOCATES ALLIANCE and the Baldwin Park Shelter in an effort to assure that none of the animals would be sent back to the high kill shelter that day. One of the things that interested me was that some people were actually nasty to my daughter and the other teens holding up signs at the passing cars. One of the comments was that these kids, and everyone else there, shouldn't care about the stupid animals but should care about people in need...Well guess what??! People who care about animals and try to help them also work hard for humanity. It isn't about one or the other it is about doing what you can when you can for anyone and anything that needs the help. My daughter was a bit horrified by the coldness of anyone who made nasty remarks about all of the many volunteers donating their time to Pay It Forward.

With the Fall season approaching quickly I know business will soon pick up for Rich Delights. I am grateful and look forward to being busy baking and filling orders and hopefully being able to start donating some of the profits to help where it is needed. I understand the importance of making my business a success and we do need the money but I am continually drawn to the volunteer efforts that kicked in big time this summer. My daughter began volunteering at the local animal shelter a couple of years ago and she will continue supporting them but when we found out about the numbers living short lives in the high kill shelters we both knew we needed to concentrate in those areas even if it means driving 75 miles to Los Angeles and not being able to help as often as we would like to.

The last two times we went to volunteer I brought Rich Delights for the volunteers and my next venture will be to work with Diana Wegner, the lovely mother of Lou Wegner, to have bake sales that will benefit the groups that do so much for the animals who have no other voice to speak out for them. I am very excited about the fact that the love my daughter and I have for our own animals has spilled into the adoption and rescue arena and that we get to be a part of something so meaningful....There is a quote from the Talmud that basiclly says: Whoever saves a single life is as if they saved the entire world...We may not be able to save them all but it matters to each and every one we do...I will continue the fight for those who cannot fight for themselves whether they are human or animal and while I am doing that I will continue baking4you!

Dog Gone Sweet

It's been quite some time since I updated this blog. Most of my time away has been due to changes in family member's lives and schedules. However I have also been "distracted" in a good way and am very proud and happy to be involved in giving more time to animal adoptions and rescue efforts. My daughter is a huge animal advocate which makes me more eager to help. It is also great to watch a teen care so much about issues outside of themselves. Rich Delights is still working on adding inspirational items which can be sold as gifts to accompany our treats.

 One of my main goals is to donate a portion of each order to a charity. It seems as if the answer has presented itself. This past week end we met up in Los Angeles with a wonderful child actor named Lou Wegner. He and some friends have a group called KIDS AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY and they were getting together to help with adoptions with the ANIMAL ADVOCATE ALLIANCE for the Baldwin Park shelter. Because I bake I decided to bring treats for the volunteers. While watching how much the treats were enjoyed it occured to me that Rich Delights should support the true heroes who save animals on the door step of being euthanized.That very day there was a dog that was physically removed from a table where it was to meet it's death. Instead it got another chance to live. So my new goal is to have my buisness be a part of this blessing by giving both time and dollars in support. This is just one more reason for me to want my business to grow and thrive. Thank you to all the people who open our eyes and dare us to turn away from these animals who have no hope without us. A special shout out to Diana Wegner who guided us through our first adoption in Los Angeles. I want to acknowledge Wendon Swift who opened my eyes from the first day I started reading her posts, Stephanie Levy who fuels the Animal Advocate Alliance with her dedication, someone I have not met but who I read great thing about all the time and that is Milan Radovic of TOP DOG RESORT and to all the rest of the places filled with volunteers who give so much of themselves so an animal can find the life it deserves.....My life is starting a new chapter with animals but I will still be...baking4you!