“It’s a far, far better thing to do stuff for other people.”
Cher Horowitz, Clueless (1995)
…What? I don’t always have to be so cerebral (lol).
Anyway, I couldn’t think of a better lighthearted quote to kick off my first article in a long, long time. See, when I made the decision to make changes in the way I did my “wine business,” I never expected anyone to get it… let alone support me on it.
Recent events allowed me to really take stock of what’s important to me right now: Taking that much-needed break I’ve been talking about since 2013 and making more concrete steps to help causes that are dear to me (and making my parents proud).
I am, however, an adult… and the years we’ve invested in 2 Shots makes me work one way or another (break be darned). So, I figured… I could tweak my business model to make sure that charities I believe in would always benefit from 2 Shots.
That’s how the AMA events happened. I understood that the concept of turning 2 Shots into a semi-charitable organization – especially in a seemingly hedonistic industry such as alcohol – is not something that’s easy for some brands to swallow… but the few that do have proven to be indispensable, amazing partners.
One such partner is Royal Canin. Royal Canin is a French brand of dog and cat food known for doing extensive research and formulating food for cats’ and dogs’ symptom-specific nutritional needs. We’ve been a huge fan of the brand for years… Their hypoallergenic variant is the only thing that works for our geriatric, cranky Yorkie who is deathly allergic to pretty much anything. After rescuing four cats (yes, we have a menagerie at home now), we discovered that their Indoor Cat food really works in minimizing their… ehrm, odor.
I know, I know… A wino talking about animal smells. A little interesting fact, though: “Barnyard” is an acceptable wine description. 😉
Anyway, Royal Canin was infinitely gracious to sponsor an amazing animal rescue organization called It Started with Sam in exchange for listening to me talk about wine.
To quote Marissa Lopa, co-founder of It Started with Sam, they “began as a grassroots rescue group that focuses on the plight of abused and abandoned strays in the Philippines. Since their first rescue in 2013, they have taken active roles in rescuing hundreds of abandoned dogs and cats, nursed them back to health, and found them loving homes.”
One of the shelters they work with is Cookie’s Nest – Shelter and Foster Home in Calauan, Laguna. They are currently housing 73 stray dogs and 23 stray cats. As of this article, they’ve had 69 of them vaccinated this year and to quote Marissa, “they need loving homes!”
I mean, check out these lovelies that are so happy with their new massive (I honestly never knew they came in that size!) bags of food:
If you’re reading this and are interested in donating to It Started with Sam (they’re also working with several other shelters!), you can donate via GCash to 09178322430.
If you specifically want to donate to Cookie’s Nest, you can click this link to their Facebook page and find out how best to go about it. More importantly, I sincerely hope that people reading this would get in touch with them and adopt a surely wonderful addition to a furever home.
Special Thanks to Royal Canin Philippines, Ms. Trina San Pascual of Fusion Pro, and Michelle Monzones for all the help
