Last December, a group gathered downtown to read the names of and remember fifty-six identified individuals who had died homeless in Fresno between January and November 2021. The service included readings, short messages, and music from a variety of religious traditions.
This time of year we seem to think even more about those in need, so we at KRL like to feature some of the groups that help people in need in various ways. This week we are taking a look once again (we first interviewed them in 2013) at the amazing work of Westside Rescue in Fresno, whose mission is to serve the homeless pet owners of downtown Fresno by providing supplemental pet food, preventative vaccines, and spay and neuter services for their companion animals.
In June at the Fresno Pride Festival I had the opportunity to meet some very interesting people, among those people were members of the Fresno Chapter of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Recently I got the chance to chat with Teresa Castillo, who is the Chair of the Fresno branch, about the tremendous amount of incredible things this group does!
KRL has often written about the many wonderful things that Clovis resident Justin Kamimoto has been involved in through the last several years.
As the owner of Orchard View, California’s Simplicity Itself Organizing Services, Maggie McDonald prides herself on helping her clients to declutter their homes and simplify their lives. That requires the cooperation of everyone in the household, so Maggie is reluctant to begin reorganizing Stephen Laird’s home without the presence of his partner, Jason Mueller. She’s willing to make an exception since Jason has been deployed to Texas to implement his new rapid-response law enforcement project, but Stephen’s absence is more inexplicable.
A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas, is the latest Bob the Cat book from James Bowen. A Street Cat Named Bob and The World According to Bob, along with various children's and youth versions of the story, have topped best seller lists all over the world.
This week we checked in once again with Justin Kamimoto, founder and Program Director of Fresno's M.E.A.L. Fresno's M.E.A.L. is an amazing group that helps the homeless in Fresno all year long. I decided to see what they had going on over the holidays, future plans, and for anyone who has never heard of them got an over view of what they do.
Recently a friend introduced me to Bob The Cat, probably the most famous cat out there right now besides Grumpy Cat, especially in the UK. There are two full length books about this amazing cat--A Street Cat Named Bob and How He Saved My Life, and then the more recent release of The World According to Bob. Both are written by Bob's owner James Bowen. These books are now on the top of my list for favorite books ever!
“We are people who want to give…people who want to provide Fresno’s homeless with a meal that others would normally experience at their own kitchen tables…” Justin Kamimoto, Founder and Program Director for Fresno’s M.E.A.L.
When I stroll, I am aware that the things I see along the way are only a small part of the picture of the neighborhoods through which I walk. On the surface, I see the faces of people passing by, the facades of buildings, traffic in the streets and whatever landscape is presented. Everything seems to be working in one way or another.
