It was February 2023 when Adriano called me: "Hi Stefano, today I'm in Passo Corese from Brenda's Oasis... could you deliver the bags directly there?".
Adriano is the owner of the Rantaplan dog training center: one of the top experts in canine psychology. I had to deliver him some food as usual, and since he was on his way (I was returning from a tour of Rieti) I told him that there was no problem.
When I arrived at the shelter, Adriano was there to welcome me. He explained to me that Brenda's Oasis takes in abandoned dogs, and introduced me to the volunteers who took care of them.
In practice, it works like this: when they arrive at the center, our 4-legged friends are immediately visited by vets to understand if they need medical care, then through people like Adriano they are socialized and inserted into the group with other dogs. From that moment on, we try to have them adopted by private individuals who can offer them a home and a family.
It was explained to me that our friends are helped on all fronts: medical, nutritional and especially psychological. Many of them in fact report trauma and a dysfunctional education that makes them difficult to reintegrate, but if they are monitored especially in the adoption phase, these problems can be overcome.
I learned with great amazement and happiness that the Oasis manages to have about 200 dogs adopted a year. All this is not without difficulty, especially financial. The volunteers who work there, not only do not earn a single euro, but often pay out of their own pockets for things like medicines, blankets and especially food, which must be differentiated since there are so many dogs, of all ages, of different sizes and some with specific dietary needs.
When we went outside to visit the center, I noticed that the structure was really well kept, that the dogs were in very large areas and were divided into compatible groups. In particular, they seemed in excellent health and above all serene. Entering the enclosures, many approached joyfully, with a great desire to play and be petted.
I was happy to see them like this, but at the same time my heart sank.
I thought that all those dogs were there because they were abandoned by the people they trusted. Yet, they all deserved a family that would take care of them.
I thought that if I was the owner of a pet food company it was thanks to Barnie and the love for animals that I have had since I was born. Our company mission, in fact, is still today to ensure that all dog and cat owners can offer their friends a quality food, which improves their health and their daily life in the years they will spend together.
I reasoned that Brenda's Oasis is a structure that works very well, but struggles to survive without outside help. The volunteers do everything they can to ensure that their 4-legged guests get the meals they need, the right amount of exercise, the necessary socialization and even a psychological path; unfortunately, however, economic resources are always limited.
What I had seen and experienced had overwhelmed me, and that's when I realized I had to do something.
...But what? I've been thinking about it for days.
A few sporadic donations wouldn't have helped much. Also, talking to Adriano I realized that in our country there are many structures like this that should be helped and supported. My wish would have been to help them all, but mine is still a small company...
I started asking myself a thousand questions. How can I concretely help our friends receive the love and care they need? How can I involve and sensitize as many people as possible? Will animal lovers support me? ...And everyone else? How can you remain indifferent?
This is where the GIVE ME 5 initiative was born.
GIVE ME 5 is a project in which Barnie's donates 5% of its turnover to reliable associations such as Oasi di Brenda, which make love for animals the driving force of their activities.
It's very simple. Just go to our e-commerce and, after putting what you like in the cart, enter a code that corresponds to one of the associations that have joined the initiative. In this way, 5% of the total to be paid will be donated to the association you have chosen, which will decide whether to use it to purchase medicines, food or other, evaluating from time to time what the 4-legged guests need.
What you pay as my customers is always the same: the 5% is not more than the value of the products chosen, it is Barnie's who takes care of the donation.
I conclude by inviting non-profit associations, those that help dogs and cats but also other types of animals, to join the initiative (which obviously has no cost for them).
Above all, I invite you, animal lovers, to give us a hand. In fact, GIVE ME A 5!