It was just over a decade ago when my parents joined me in a parade of friendly canines and grateful felines for a Saturday charity pet event in the Robertsdale neighborhood near Whiting and Hammond.
Reader and event organizer JoAnn Palko asked me to help that day with the “lion’s share” of emceeing duties with my parents hailed as special guests during the meet and greet.
I was happy to see kittens and cats for adoption, in addition to the many canine friends, all part of this event hosted by Palko and Second Chance 4 Pets Network, with their mission focused on spaying/neutering free-roaming strays and ferals, offering low-cost vaccinations and pet food assistance for those pet owners in need, community education about pet ownership and spaying/neutering, and just helping people help animals.
This was Sept. 1, 2012, and that year’s theme was Paws in Paradise.
It included a walk-a-thon at the Robertsdale Little League Complex, 1800 Caroline Avenue off 119th Street in the Robertsdale area of Hammond, along with a “pet blessing” and live music provided by the Froghead Brothers. And by the end of the day, more than $10,000 was raised to help our animal friends.
I applaud Palko for having a phone Rolodex that must be a treasure-trove of contact numbers.
Last week, she contacted me 10 years later with another invitation for my parents and myself.
This time, the occasion was to herald a 300th cat adoption magic moment recognized last Sunday afternoon, Oct. 29, courtesy of a team-up with The Region Cat Café, 281 W. 80th Place in Merrillville.
– Original Credit: Ann Dolezal
Serving up a full menu, in addition to favorite coffee brews, the storefront space offers a controlled environment lounge to interact with eager cats looking for good homes and more information available by visiting www.TheRegionCatCafe.com. The Region Cat Café is now a valued partner of the Second Chance 4 Pets Network, the latter being a nonprofit organization launched in 2012, when I first crossed paths with Palko.
As explained at their website www.sc4pets.org, since Second Chance 4 Pets Network’s launch, they have spay/neutered more than 1,000 cats and dogs and adopted more than 800 cats and 400 dogs into loving, permanent homes. Their goal is to increase those numbers every year. Helping reach this goal is Linda Ramos, owner of The Region Cat Café which opened in January. And since this start of the year partnership, the entities have found loving homes for 300 purring felines.
I first heard of this purr-fect partnership in January, after WJOB radio personality Tony Panek filmed one of his “Panek in the Region” segments about the project. Last month, our farm friend Ann Dolezal called me to ask if I would be a reference during her process of adopting a cat she had met at The Region Cat Café.
Today, orange tabby Noodles has a new home with Ann.
We too have a new cat chapter at our farm, after the passing of our 19-year-old spayed farm cat Tippy. A pair of brother and sister kittens, courtesy of another farm friend neighbor Linda Kacafirek, now reside at our farm and are also soon to be spayed and neutered (once they are old enough).
As for the 300th cat adopted at Sunday’s gathering, that was Abilene, who now has a home with Andrew and Courtney Smith of Portage, and their children, daughter Kairi, 3, and 1-year-old son Duncan.
Sunday also happened to be Second Chance 4 Pets Network founder Jo Ann Palko’s birthday, making it an extra special day.
Throughout the years, I’ve shared a number of favored recipes from Ann Dolezal and her beloved late mother Donna, forever preserved in my columns and published cookbooks.
– Original Credit: Ann Dolezal
For cold winter menus, Ann said her mom would make a simple “Pizza Casserole” recipe for supper as a reason to turn on the oven to help warm up their century old family farm house down the road from us in San Pierre. Ann still makes this recipe (handwritten by Donna from her kitchen file), with thoughts of her mom, who passed away too soon at age 79 in September 2019.
Columnist Philip Potempa has published four cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa @comhs.org or mail your questions: From the Farm, PO Box 68, San Pierre, Ind. 46374.
Donna Dolezal’s Pizza Casserole
Makes 6 servings
1 pound of hamburger
1 small onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 small (6 ounce) can of sliced mushrooms, drained
1 large can (14 ounces) pizza sauce
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound box rotini pasta
Directions:
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, brown hamburger with onion and add green pepper and mushrooms.
Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
In a 9-inch square casserole, layer rotini, then sauce and then cooked meat mixture and then finishing with cheese on top.
Bake casserole in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes and remove from oven to stand for 5-10 minutes “to set” before serving.
