The recent tornadoes that struck Birmingham, AL in the early morning hours of January 23, 2012 left untold structural damage and two dead in its wake.  Neighborhoods in east Birmingham and surrounding areas requested disaster relief and volunteers to help with the aftermath and cleanup.  The Emerald Coast Golden Retriever Rescue (ECGRR) in the Florida Panhandle was among the first to offer their services to help with the care of the displaced pets.

ECGRR volunteers from Pensacola to Panama City collected donations including beds, crates, toys, blankets, collars, leashes and pet food to be transported to the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control, which were soon distributed to needy victims of the recent tornadoes.

The donations were so plentiful that transporting them soon became a challenge.  We would like to say a special thank you to a wonderful group of people who donated their time, money and energy to ensure all these items reached their intended destination: Kay Rossi, Panama City team leader & secretary, for donating her 39’ motor home; Bill Hyde, president of ECGRR, for helping with the heavy lifting and driving duties; and Kandie Evanchyk, foster coordinator, for coordinating the donation and transport effort.  The transport also included a female Pit Bull who was delivered to the Bama Bully Rescue and ultimately her forever home.

A huge thank you goes to all of the wonderful and generous ECGRR volunteers who made the Birmingham relief effort a huge success.  There are no words that can express our gratitude for your donations.

If you would like to donate to the relief effort you can either donate on this website with Paypal or you can contact the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control or the Greater Birmingham Humane Sociey.

Here are just a few photo's of the dogs enjoying the beds that were donated to the shelter.