What’s the most unusual or interesting donation you’ve ever received? Were you able to use it? If so, how?

When we asked that question for our "Coffee Break" department, you flooded our inboxes with responses. We received so much feedback that only a fraction would fit into the magazine!

Here are some more of your answers:

Tell Us Your Thoughts!  Answer our next Coffee Break question If your response is chosen for publication, you will be entered into a drawing to win a free coffee break (valued at $50) for your organization.

I received an e-mail several months ago from Hunter Lowy, a 12-year-old from Solon, Ohio. Her family adopted two kittens from me (Kelley's Kritters) this summer, but sadly their father had such a horrible allergy they had to give them back. The family was very upset, to say the least. Hunter [turned] 13 [in] March and [made] her bat mitzvah. She requested donations of cat food, litter, toys, etc. to Kelley's Kritters! … I wanted to share this with you and your staff because it truly is a unique donation/contribution and one that is greatly needed and appreciated by myself and the kitties! I thought it was a wonderful and selfless act from a young, aspiring teenager!
—Kelley Neal, Founder, Kelley's Kritters, Oakwood Village, Ohio
[Editor’s note: Neal reports that, thanks to the generosity of the Lowy family, the March 7 Bat Mitzvah netted Kelley’s Kritters about $650 in cash as well as many pounds of dog and cat food, cat beds, toys, and litter.]

It was a large box full of mink coats! An anonymous donor left the box outside our shelter door, with a note inside that said, "I feel guilty that these animals had to die. Use these coats for bedding. At least some good can come from it."
—Tricia Power, Director, Bryant Animal Control & Adoption Center, Bryant, Arkansas

We have an annual picnic/fundraiser where all the volunteers bring items to auction. A few months before, someone gifted a plain, small ceramic white rabbit to us. Since we have a house full of rabbit stuff already, we donated it for the raffle. After it was won, another member quietly asked us if we knew how much it was worth, which we did not. She said that we probably didn't want to know because it was worth quite a lot of money, several hundred dollars! She tried to get the winner to sell it to her, but she declined. However, the winner didn't know the value; she just wanted it because it resembled their beloved adopted rabbit! We never found out its exact value, but I guess that’s what we get for regifting it!
—Keith Zimmerman, Fosterer, Buckeye House Rabbit Society, Fremont, Ohio

In April of 2008, Ford Motors selected Angelique Parker of Bellaire, Ohio, as one of 10 winners across the nation in association with ABC’s hit show Oprah's Big Give. In turn, Parker gave the car to Webark Estates Animal Shelter. Contestants were asked to submit the name of a deserving organization to win a new Ford. Parker entered the competition on behalf of her daughter, who suffers from brain and spinal cancer. "My daughter is a cancer survivor for over seven years and she loves nothing more than her two cats who constantly keep her company. I made a vow to my daughter that if we won this competition, we would give the vehicle to an organization that loves animals as much she does," said Parker.
—Lacefield, Manager, Webark Estate, Inc. Animal Shelter, Moundsville, West Virginia

After a day of rescuing, it's late at night at [Dogs Deserve Better] headquarters. All ready to crawl in bed, a tired Tamira Ci Thayne, founder and CEO, hears the phone and lets the machine take it when she hears, "I'd like to make a donation." She runs down the stairs to the office (donations are hard to come by these days) and has her hand on the receiver when the caller finishes her sentence: "I'd like to donate a dog."
—Dawn Ashby, Rescue and Public Liaison Director, Dogs Deserve Better, Tipton, Pennsylvania

Our very first "turn in" was two elderly guinea pigs. The owner, unable to care for them any longer, donated all her guinea pigs’ possessions—an entire minivan full of stuff! One large cage and every accessory sold for small animals! Most weren't even piggie appropriate, but I guess she bought the stuff because she loved her pigs so much! Eventually we did use most of the items for various pets, but my attic was full for a while! Those pigs were 5 when we got them—of course no one wanted to adopt them, so I ended up keeping them, and those girls lived to be 8 years old!
—Gail Hughes, Vet Reception, Paws 2 Learn, Lansdale, Pennsylvania