More than 100 rescue cats and dogs now have a shot at a better life and forever home after surviving the fires in Los Angeles – thanks to the efforts of a promo distributor and a plane full of pets.

Yvette Berke – president of Valley Glen, CA-based promotional products distributor Adapt Ad Specialty (asi/105620) – spent January working to supply animal shelters and rescue organizations with critical emergency pet suppliers through the COPE Preparedness Pet Pantry, all as the fires continued to devastate the Los Angeles area.

More than 100 shelter animals were flown from Los Angeles to Oregon to be adopted, thanks to the efforts of Yvette Berke and other nonprofit staff.

Amid the fallout from the blazes, it quickly became apparent that one of the biggest problems for the animal rescue community was a lack of facilities. Some sanctuaries and shelters burned down and had to relocate their animals, and many families displaced by the fires couldn’t bring pets with them to evacuation sites or temporary housing – which meant that available space at rescue organizations filled up quickly.

With support from Greater Good Charities – a national nonprofit focused on disaster relief and protecting people, pets and the planet – Berke and COPE Preparedness decided to do something about the overcrowding: fly more than 100 cats and dogs from Los Angeles to Portland, where they’d be placed with the Oregon Humane Society.

Thanks to the Southwest Airlines flight staff, the rescues were able to sit in the main cabin in their carriers instead of in the cargo hold.

The efforts freed up space at Los Angeles County shelters that would have otherwise led to euthanizing animals, said Berke.

“You’re saving lives,” she told ASI Media. “There’s no doubt about it.”

The team working on the project pulled cats and dogs from shelters, setting up a system for ensuring all animals were properly examined and vaccinated before boarding the plane.

The animals were protected and well cared for in transit.

With help from the Southwest Airlines employees manning the flight, all hundred-plus animals were boarded into individual crates and carried aboard to sit not in the cargo hold but in the main cabin, alongside Greater Good Charities’ medical director and lead veterinarian.

The Southwest staff said the rescues were the best passengers they’ve ever had, Berke shared.

The pilot and co-pilot even jumped in to help get all rescue animals safely onboard before takeoff.

One particularly heartwarming story within the story? A litter of kittens was rescued from a dumpster outside of an LA high school just minutes before the trash truck was scheduled to come by. Once the litter made it to Portland onboard the Southwest flight, they were among the first to be adopted.

“They literally went from being trashed to being treasured,” Berke said.

Berke’s return to animal rescue work during the pandemic led her to the nonprofit COPE Preparedness, which focuses on disaster relief and emergency preparedness. Today, she manages all of the nonprofits' pet programming, which provides more than 300 animal rescues and shelters in Southern California with donated pet supplies and other support, in partnership with Greater Good Charities.

Berke’s promo connections have sometimes helped propel her “double life” with COPE. She said she’s collected misprinted items or extra inventory from industry suppliers to use as donations in the past, for example.

“There might be an opportunity within our community to find places for extra goods other than the landfill,” she said.

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires – two of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, according to Cal Fire – were officially contained on Feb. 1 after burning for nearly a month.

In the wake of the destruction, other promo firms also offered help where they could – distributor Doing Good Works (asi/222095) facilitated donations of more than $15,000 worth of product from nearly a dozen suppliers, said Chief Impact Officer Logan Altman. Counselor Top 40 suppliers Gemline (asi/56070) and PCNA (asi/66887), as well as Terry Town (asi/90913) and Evans Manufacturing (asi/52840), were among those who donated a variety of products, including hygiene kits, snack packs, blankets and bags.

While operations have resumed for Los Angeles-based promo firms, companies and employees are still feeling the lingering effects of the fires.

“Everyone knows someone who has been affected,” said Eric Simsolo, president of California-based Counselor Top 40 supplier Next Level Apparel (asi/73867). “Our community is hurt – but resilient.”