Carson City businesses pour out oil, vinegar and love to homeless

On the surface, olive oil and balsamic vinegar have little to do with homelessness. But here in Carson City, they have become a big deal.

Last month, noted area Chef Don Pepe, owner of Carpa Nevada LLC, sold more than $1,000 worth of his fine imported Portuguese olive oil and balsamic vinegars through Downtown Coin in Carson City.

The entire proceeds, totaling $400 in profit, were then donated to “Pets of the Homeless,” a Carson City-based non-profit organization that helps provide food and veterinary care for homeless companions nationwide.

Presentation of the check was made Saturday at Downtown Coin, 111 W. Telegraph Street, as Chef Don Pepe, known popularly as “The Paella King,” handed the donation over to Genevieve Frederick, founder and president of “Pets of the Homeless.”

“I do this in memory of my dog, Pepe,” said Don Pepe, whose real name is Jose Noriega-Paz. His cocker spaniel, poodle mix was killed almost three years ago by a much larger dog, the chef said.

Pepe launched the effort to give help — and hope — to others, whose pets are more like members of the family than something they own.

“When you see those men and women on the streets, their pets are their families,” Pepe said. “The pet is the one that is keeping them warm.”

At Saturday’s presentation, Pepe thanked all of his customers who supported this fundraiser, including Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell and his wife, Susan. He also reached out to his friend, Dan Wilson, owner of Downtown Coin.

Wilson not only bought oils and vinegars to support the fundraiser, but he also supplied the space in his retail store to promote the effort.

“This man (Wilson) and this club (Downtown Coin Club) are incredible,” Pepe said.

So, too, are Pepe’s olive oils and vinegars, both Wilson and Frederick agreed. Imported from Portugal, the products are authentic, made the way they are supposed to be, Chef Pepe said.

“My oils and vinegars are the real thing,” Pepe said.

For Wilson, there was no question that he was going to throw his support behind Pepe’s fundraiser.

“All I had to hear was that the man (Pepe) asked me, and that it was for ‘Pets of the Homeless,’” Wilson said.

Sales for the fundraiser began in early November, shortly after Nevada Day, and continued through December 31, 2015.

Frederick, who founded “Pets of the Homeless” in 2006, said the $400 donation from Chef Pepe will help about ten individual new cases nationwide by paying for veterinary bills.

“These are ten cases all over the United States and in Canada,” Frederick stressed. “Not just locally here in Carson City.”

Since achieving 501(c)3 non-profit status in 2008, “Pets of the Homeless” has seen to it that more than 12,000 pets received emergency and routine veterinary treatment, Frederick noted, spending more than $30,000 in veterinary hospitals and clinics around the country.

The organization has also overseen the distribution of more than 400 tons of pet food to homeless care providers. The food given to nourish homeless companions has totaled a fair market value of $1.5 million, Frederick said.

While the charity’s chief purpose is to feed and care for animals of displaced people, “Pets of the Homeless” also serves as a resource to educate the public about homelessness.

“Seventy-six percent of homeless people have a physical or mental disability, or struggle with a substance abuse disorder,” Frederick said. “A lot of them are abused spouses who have fled that environment.”

Then there are the animals at the sides of homeless people. The importance these pets have in the lives of the homeless cannot be underestimated, or overstated, Frederick emphasized.

“Medical science has proven that pets bring down blood pressure, reduce stress and depression, and keep people calm,” Frederick said.

Pets are known to have prevented depressed people from committing suicide, she added, helping to provide emotional stability during difficult times.

The health of homeless animals can be surprising to a lot of people, too.

“Vets are amazed at how healthy these pets are,” Frederick said. “They are out exercising and socializing every day.”

The main point that Frederick, Pepe, and Wilson hope to share about homeless companions is that they are not just animals, but family members.

And keeping families together is the bottom line.

For more information about “Pets of the Homeless,” visit the organization’s web site at www.petsofthehomeless.org.