Charitable News

6 charitable things going on around Dallas where you can help out

Order Chipotle and help someone out.

Chipotle

We're coming up on the holiday/charitable season, and people are doing charitable things all around us. Some of these involve food: You buy something and a donation gets made. Some ask that you make a purchase on their behalf.

Here are six charitable things you can do to help others:

Chipotle Mexican Grill just opened a new location in the Kessler Park neighborhood, at 2242 Fort Worth Ave., and will be hosting a fundraiser for Sunset High School students and faculty. Specifically, the fundraiser is to support Sunset High School's DECA, a club that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. The club is typically funded by the school store, but with fewer students on campus, their funding has been hit. The fundraiser is on December 2, 4-8 pm. Use the code DN6L8LZ on any digital order placed via the Chipotle app or website for pickup and 33 percent of the sales go directly to the DECA club.

Tiff's Treats, the Austin-based brand that delivers warm cookies, has opened its newest location in Prosper at 1070 South Preston Rd. in Phase II of the Gates of Prosper retail center. A drive-through grand opening celebration will take place on December 5, from 10 am-1 pm, which will benefit Hatching Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization that educates autism caregivers and empowers families affected by autism. A $10 ticket gets each vehicle a dozen cookies in the most popular flavors, chocolate chip and snickerdoodle; a $5 gift card; and the chance to win a $100 cookie gift card. For each ticket sold, Tiff's Treats will donate $5 to Hatching Hope Foundation. Holiday or tacky sweaters are encouraged. The store will also be open for regular pickup, delivery and walk-in business; all who stop by can enter to win free cookies for a year.

Alto, the Dallas-based rideshare and delivery company, will partner with national organization Toys For Tots this holiday season in all of its current service markets, which include Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Los Angeles. During December, Alto will launch a special vehicle, "The Alto Express," in each market. A portion of each ride taken in this vehicle will be donated to Toys For Tots. Riders have the option to donate toys to Toys For Tots through this vehicle and partnership. Alto members can donate to Toys For Tots through the Alto website for the chance to win a 10-minute visit with Santa outside their home.

JCPenney CEO Jill Soltau and Shaquille O’Neal joined forces to distribute grant money, gift cards, and surprise gifts at the company's "Brand-Defining Store" in Hurst on December 1, continuing Penney’s celebrated holiday tradition of giving back and leaning into its iconic three-letter acronym with a seasonal campaign around Joy, Comfort, and Peace. Communities In Schools national office receives the largest donation of $100,000 to fulfill their mission of supporting students and empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. O'Neal is a board member of the organization. The Company also provided $25,000 in gift cards for the North Texas Communities In Schools Giving Tree program, plus $100,000 in grants to eight DFW-area schools and non-profits working to close the opportunity gap, including the Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, Big Thought, and Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School.

Texans Can Academies - Dallas is hosting a contactless winter donation drive to benefit students at their six Dallas area schools who are in need of winter gear, personal protective equipment, and food. Donations can be made through Texans Can Academies' Amazon Wishlist. Items requested include jackets, gloves, scarves, sweaters, food, face masks, hand sanitizer, and baby essentials including wipes, diapers, and baby clothes. They're asking for orders to be made by December 11. If in-person donations are preferred, contact Felicia Gummi at fgummi@texanscan.org or 214-882-7949 to schedule a delivery or pick-up time. Donations can also be mailed to Texans Can Academies' corporate office at 325 W. 12th St.

Bottled Blonde, the pizzeria-beer garden-nightlife destination is hosting a holiday drive benefiting Promise House Inc. December 1–16. The goal of the drive is to supply at-risk homeless youth with crucial personal items and gifts including clothes, underwear, blankets, sheets, baby supplies, movie passes, deodorant, body wash, and more. For every donation made, guests receive a coupon for a free pizza, redeemable the same day. Guests who make monetary donations direct to the charity will receive free pizza coupons with proof of donation. (Limit one coupon per person; limit two pizzas per table.) Promise House is an independent 501(c)(3) providing crisis intervention, transitional housing, pregnant and parenting teen services, counseling, education and outreach to neglected, abused and at-risk youth, up to age 24.

Impossible Burger is hosting an event during the holiday that lets you help the food insecure. Order any Impossible bundle online (with free shipping on all purchases), and they'll donate the same amount to Feeding America. Impossible Foods will donate up to 100,000 burgers this season.

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Animal News

Advocates find false info being fed to Texas legislators on pet store law

Puppy mill dogs do not have a great life.

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A national pet store chain has been implicated in a dishonest campaign to try and influence Texas lawmakers on an upcoming bill making its way through the legislature.

The pet store chain is Petland, and they're engaged in a battle against The Ethical Pet Sale Bill (SB 1652 / HB 3458), which would encourage pet stores to stop selling at-risk animals from puppy mills and support shelters and rescue groups instead.

The Ethical Pet Sale bill has support from rescue and animal groups across Texas, who are all grappling with a glut of animals on the streets and in overcrowded shelters. That pet overpopulation problem gets even worse when pet stores import more animals from puppy mills in states like Missouri and Ohio.

If Texas passes the bill, it will join a growing number of states and cities who've already passed similar laws including Dallas, Austin, Bryan, College Station, El Paso, Euless, Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Pasadena, San Antonio, The Colony, Sherman, and Waco.

Most reputable pet store chains such as PetSmart and PetCo do not sell cats and dogs. Petland does. The company operates 84 stores in the U.S., and fights bills like this by hiring lobbyists to discourage legislators from supporting these bills.

Phony list
In this case, a two-page summary was distributed to some Texas state senators listing reasons why they should oppose SB ("The evidence from other states, especially California, demonstrates that these types of bans do more harm than good"), plus a list of organizations that are opposed.

Most of the organizations opposed to the bill profit directly from animals, such as Petland and Puppy Dreams, a North Texas chain that also sells animals.

But the list also had surprising names including PetSmart, PetCo, and Pet Supplies Plus — the three largest pet store chains who all have a history of supporting adoption of shelter animals.

Their presence on the list caught the eye of animal advocacy groups such as Texas Humane Legislation Network and Humane World For Animals, who've worked with the big three in the past.

"We became aware of Petland Inc.’s lobbyist apparently sharing the attached document with legislators, claiming the listed pet and pet product industry leaders are opposing this legislation," said a spokesperson from Humane World of Animals (HWA). "We checked in with contacts at Petco, Petsmart, and the American Pet Products Association, and all of them deny opposing this legislation or giving Petland permission to list them on this opposition letter. It’s very possible others listed in this letter also did not give their permission to be included — we only connected with the those listed above at this stage."

CultureMap also contacted the three major pet store chains and received similar responses that they had not been consulted nor did they issue a rejection of the bill, although none wanted to be quoted.

The misrepresentation is concerning because it muddies the water with false information at a time when the bill is still under consideration:

HB 3458 — the version going through the Texas House — passed a House Committee with a 10-1 vote and has been moved up the chain towards passage.

SB 1652 — the version going through the Senate — still needs to get through the Senate Committee, Calendars, and a floor vote.

"By creating a false narrative about the position of the above industry leaders, this letter has the potential to sway lawmakers at a critical juncture in the legislation’s journey," the HWA spokesperson says.

Two Petland stores in the Dallas area — in Frisco and Tyler — have been the subject of undercover investigations. Petland Webster recently settled a lawsuit with several families that the store allegedly sold sick puppies to, and several lawsuits have been filed against Petland Woodlands in Texas, claiming the store sold sick puppies. One pet owner told the House Committee that he'd spent $20,000 on medical care of a puppy he bought at a pet store.

"Banning the retail sale of puppies and kittens is a common-sense solution to protect both animals and Texas consumers," said Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, who filed the bill. "My SB 1652 would help reduce pet overpopulation, promote responsible breeding practices and prevent families from unknowingly purchasing sick animals. With varying local ordinances in place and further action at the city level now restricted, it is important for the state to provide a clear and consistent approach that prioritizes both animal welfare and consumer protection."

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