About Us
Basic Needs Foundation, Inc. was founded on March 18, 2009 by Ha Adolfo. Basic Needs Foundation, Inc. is a registered 501 (C) 3 Non Profit organization with EIN #26-4498035. We are based in Los Angeles County, Southern California.
We provide food for working homeless people, who live in their vehicles with their children. We also provide pet food for homeless people’s pets.
We have seen a remarkable increase in surrendered animals due to the rise in foreclosures, and evictions. Our organization provides pet food that helps families in our community stay together with their companion animals during these hard economic times. By providing pet food to low income people, many pets are saved from being abandoned by owners who cannot afford to feed their pets anymore.
We provide cat food to feeders to feed 2400+ feral cats. All feral cats are fixed & eartipped. Feral cats result from the offspring of cats that were once owned and then abandoned. As a result, the kittens are not properly socialized to humans and become feral.
We organize and fundraise for our FREE spay/neuter program. This allow us to hire mobile clinics that provide pet owners in small towns at no co-cost or low-cost spaying/neutering for their pets. The program simply does not exist in rural, small towns.
Basic Needs Foundation, Inc. does not receive any city, county or government funding. Our funding and food supplies come entirely from donations, and fund raising.
A short history
We were originally called "Rescuer's Helper" and led by Ha Adolfo. We have helped different animal rescue groups since 2000 to accomplish various tasks including pet food, and fund raising for their shelters.
On February 25, 2007, Rescuer's Helper helped organize a third trap/neuter/release (TNR) for 75 feral cats in San Pedro, California with a mobile clinic from Western University of Health Science - The College of Veterinary Medicine.
In July of 2007, Rescuer's Helper was asked to secure pet food for homeless pet owners, and cat food for over two thousand feral cats. Once the trust had established among working homeless pet owners, they asked for people food donation for themselves and their children. These adults ate cat food once or twice per week, so their children can eat people food. Their homes are their vehicles!
Demand for people food and pet food increased by thirty percent in the first quarter of 2009. Rescuer's Helper then filed for a nonprofit status under the name Basic Needs Foundation, Inc. to meet the demand.
Mission Statement
Basic Needs Foundation provides food for working homeless people who live in their vehicle with children and pet food for their pets.
We also provide pet food for low income people, and cat food for feral cats.
We find homes for homeless pets, when their homeless owners can no longer take care of them.
We hire mobile clinics and provide the "Fix Your Pets" Mobile spay/neuter program to low income pet owners in small towns, & trap/neuter/release (TNR) feral cats.
Background
There is a segment of new homeless people who have minimum wage jobs, and they can't afford to have a home, because minimum wage isn't a living wage.
Food banks are full of poor, professional folks with children in tow. They live in their vehicles with their children and pets.
Many animals are abandoned, because their owners can not afford to feed their pets.
