wasn't quite right in the neighborhood behind her workplace. "I'd walk out to my car everyday and
would hear lots of dogs barking, at least ten different dogs," Rachel told me. "I didn't think it was
normal, so I got in my car and started driving around and I was like, oh-my-God!"
dozens of skinny, chained dogs with no food, water or shelter in filthy, trash-littered backyards, and
tons of thin, scruffy cats wandering loose between the houses and along the streets. With winter just
around the corner and temperatures about to drop, Rachel knew she had to do something to help
these desperate animals, and fast.
small, rural city 65 miles northwest of Atlanta with a large working class population. Twenty percent of
its citizens live below the poverty line. And if people aren't able to provide for themselves, then you
can pretty much guarantee they're not properly caring for their pets. Such was the case in the
disadvantaged community Rachel had inadvertently stumbled upon.
purchased some straw bales and bags of pet food, and began canvasing the neighborhood, knocking on
doors and offering supplies to anyone who needed them. Thanks to the two kindhearted women,
several dogs and cats had softer places to sleep and full bellies that night. But Rachel knew just one
random act of kindness wasn't going to suffice there was too much need in this community to walk
away now. With visions of all those neglected dogs and cats haunting her thoughts, she went home
and started to rally her troops. And thus, the Rome outreach and rescue effort was born.
The fifth Rome outreach
mission group.
Sopata, Lindsey Kirn, Rachel
Meier, Monica Wesolowski,
Emily Chason and Jordan
Gilchrist.
Kramer, Nick John, Jennifer
Naujokas, Lucero Hornedo
and Allan Brown.