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Mimi Ausland, 12, collects food for shelter animals through two donation websites, Freekibble.com and
Freekibblekat.com |
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By Andrew Sovonick
Pet overpopulation in shelters is one of the biggest problems facing animals today, with nearly 6-8 million dogs and cats entering shelters each year. Twelve-year old Mimi Ausland of Bend, Ore., wants to make sure that none of them go hungry while waiting for a new, loving home.
Free Kibble
Mimi started the website Freekibble.com in April 2008 with the intent of collecting food for the dogs at the Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSCO). More than 170,000 pieces of kibble were collected in the first month, increasing to 180,000 pieces in May. This increase inspired Mimi to start another campaign, Freekibblekat.com, which collects food for cats in shelters.
She enlisted the help of Bend Pet Express, a local pet store that helped supply her with dog food, and other local institutions chipped in as well. Eventually, Zootoo.com offered its services as a sponsor, and is currently her biggest sponsor.
As Mimi's efforts gained the attention of the media, the totals increased even more. She appeared on "NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams" and the "Today Show," after which the kibble totals skyrocketed, increasing from just over 25,000 pieces to nearly 430,000 pieces in one day. On July 12, two days after her appearance on national television, the daily food donation total reached a record of 803,940 pieces of kibble.
Inspired By Rice
Mimi got the free kibble idea from an initiative with a similar basis, the Freerice.com campaign, in which rice is donated through the UN World Food program to help end hunger by answering a series of vocabulary questions. Her mother, Brooke, designed the websites, and Mimi and her father, Kelly, came up with the colorful themes.
The trivia questions for Freekibble.com and Freekibblekat.com come from Mimi and her friends, whom Mimi says have become very involved and have a lot of fun thinking of questions for the site.
'Blown Away'
No one is more surprised by the response and growth of Freekibble.com than Mimi.
"I had no clue it would get this big. My original goal was to collect food for the HSCO," she said.
Her parents are also stunned by the site's reception. "We were blown away by the response," said Kelly. "We're so proud of her and so thrilled to watch her growth; this is such a great vehicle for her."
Kelly adds, "We're not surprised she could pull it off…youth does not have a fear of failing."
A Friend of Animals
When she grows up, Mimi wants to continue working with animals, specifically by running her own animal shelter. Mimi is very familiar with how shelters work, having volunteered at the Humane Society of Central Oregon for four years. She also has donated birthday gifts to the shelter. She has even rescued animals herself, including a bird with a broken wing and a stranded trout.
Mimi is a caregiver to two pets, a golden retriever named Aspen, and a Maine Coon cat named Dorothy (also known as Dot). She also leases a pinto gelding named Fritz, with whom she enjoys her favorite hobby, horseback riding.
Expanding the Effort
She credits the HSCO as a primary reason for why she started Freekibble.com.
"I volunteered at the Humane Society of Central Oregon, but I wanted to do something bigger to help the animals," she said.
With the now large and steady inflow of kibble, Mimi decided to expand the campaign to other shelters as well, while still providing food to the HSCO. The next shelter on the agenda is Furrytale Farms. Mimi aims to deliver food to many more shelters in need of help to ensure that no animal will go hungry.
"I want to try to go to all of them and feed the animals," said Mimi.
In recognition of Mimi's work for animals, The HSUS is making a donation to the animal shelter of her choice. Mimi has chosen the Humane Society of Central Oregon.
