Shining World Compassion Award Recipient: Larry Chusid of The Pongo Fund - Helping the Vulnerable and Their Animal-people Families

The award-winning non-profit organization, The Pongo Fund, was first implemented when founder Larry Chusid offered his help to a group of people living underneath a bridge, in Oregon, USA. Learning that their two dog-people companions were lacking nutritious food and necessities, Mr. Chusid brought them food, treats, coats, and beds. Tragically, every day, due to extreme hardship, many beloved dog-people companions are given up by their caregivers and left at overcrowded shelters or pounds, where they risk euthanasia.

In 2009, Mr. Chusid decided to dedicate his life to helping others in need after his beloved dog-person friend, Pongo, passed away. The Pongo Fund was created as a place of love to save these unfortunate animal-people friends. The mission is to “provide quality food and vital veterinary care for the family pets of anyone in honest need, keeping them safe, healthy, and out of the shelters.” Since its establishment, The Pongo Fund has provided more than 25 million life-saving meals for nearly 200,000 hungry animal-people in Oregon, Washington, and beyond. By sustaining the animal-people that help to sustain the poor and wounded, The Pongo Fund is helping to keep families together during the toughest of times.

Upon learning of the Pongo Fund’s unconditional caring services on behalf of beloved animal-people companions and their human caregivers, Supreme Master Ching Hai initially awarded US$15,000 to the organization, and later happily offered “an extra US$20,000, plus the Shining World Compassion Award to Larry Chusid’s Pongo Fund, with all love and gratitude from the heart in God’s Mercy.”

“Dear Larry, It is with great admiration and gratitude that we present to you and the Pongo Fund the 'Shining World Compassion Award' for caring for animal-people within the community. This Award is presented in recognition of the Fund’s unique and exceptionally benevolent way of assisting human caregivers to provide loving care for their precious animal-people companions. May you and all helping heroes, as well as your animal-people friends, be blessed abundantly by Heavens. With Great Honor, Love and Blessings in God's Grace Supreme Master Ching Hai.”