Our Birds Are “Nuts” for This Volunteer!!

We are blessed by nearly 40 loyal, passionate, and generous volunteers! One such person, Jeffery Statts, has endeared himself to our birds by donating about 750 pounds of shelled almonds to them. Almonds are an essential part of the diet of our small- to medium-sized parrots.

A female Eclectus enjoys an almond!

Jeff has volunteered at FEBS on a regular basis for about a year now. He’s a bird lover by nature, and he came to learn about us via the local hardware store where he works and we shop on a frequent basis.

Early on, Jeff started focusing his time with us on our landscaping needs, including flower beds. His selflessness in giving of his treasure as well as his time became known when we learned he was using plants and supplies he furnished when enriching the beauty of our landscaping.

Our appreciation of Jeff soared last September when he showed up at the sanctuary in a truck filled with about 30 25-lb boxes of shelled almonds! He had secretly arranged this awesome donation working with his employer and a local food bank.

The thoughtfulness of Jeff and his employer meant that we didn’t have to purchase shelled almonds for our parrot family for about six months; that translates to a food cost savings of around $6,000!

FEBS volunteer Jeff Statts with a portion of the shelled almond donation he arranged last September.

Unfortunately, it appears unlikely that we’ll be able to replicate the nut gift that Jeff arranged last fall, which means we are back to purchasing shelled almonds inasmuch as our birds would not have a complete nutritious diet without them. We’ve added raw, shelled almonds to our various “wish lists”, and our Friends of FEBS monthly gift suggestions page has been updated for this specific need as well.

FEBS relies solely on the generosity of individuals, businesses, estates, and private foundations for our daily operating and capital expansion funds. You can donate via our website (https://www.flabirdsanctuary.org/make-a-donation) or by mailing a check to 8933 Casper Avenue, Hudson, FL 34667. To learn how to become a Friend of FEBS or a Major Benefactor team member, contact our Treasurer, Dennis Padget, via email at Dennis@flabirdsanctuary.org. Thank you in advance for your love and support.