Sylvester (Sal) Alcaraz and his wife Ku’uipo have been volunteering with Furry friends for over two and a half years together on our Friday night shift at the shelter. While Sal originally started volunteering as a community service project it turned into a passion and he really shined quickly becoming the shift leader for his team. He always has wonderful things to say about the people he volunteers alongside.

Sal and Ku’uipo are continually looking for new ways to help Furry friends and are up for any challenge.

When asked what their favorite part of volunteering is Sal said, “The love and attention that I get from the cats and the peace and quiet I have when I’m in the house. As a stay-at-home father of a 15, 12, 11 and a 3 year old, anytime outside my house is a victory. I love my family very much but when I leave home, and I come to the Halfway House, those three hours that I spend with the cats pretty much helps me prepare for the following week to come. The love what I get from the cats helps me spread that same love to my family when I get back home.”

Ku’uipo said her favorite part of volunteering is, “Seeing how much we have helped the kitties grow and seeing them get their fur-ever homes.”

Sal and Ku’uipo currently care for four children, snakes, frogs, and a cat named Honu at home. They will also be adding to their pack welcoming two new kittens they rescued from a bad situation and brought to furry friends to get them the best care possible.

They truly are a special couple of people who give their best to ensure all the cats are getting the quality care, love, and attention that they deserve. They even made sure to get to the Halfway House to take care of the cats during the February snow storm weekend we had.

Sal said, “Some people want to know why I give back? Through forgiveness, being accountable for my own actions, and accepting life for what it is, I have learned through my past mistakes that it is better to bless those who give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” You can tell he is genuinely proud of what he does for our Furry friends because when he talks about volunteering he lights right up. He said it’s a blessing every time he gets to help.

Ku’uipo says she gives back, “Because it not only feels great to see what we are doing individually but as a non-profit organization Furry Friends has helped give kitties a second chance at life that they deserve and they never turn anyone away.” Her proudest moments are every time a cat she has had a hand in helping gets adopted.

This husband and wife duo make a bigger impact than they even know having helped approximately 350 cats along their journey at Furry friends. They are amazing, genuine people who have huge hearts. We appreciate them and also want to wish Sal a Happy Birthday!

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We would like to thank Jenn Hutchman for writing this spotlight. She has been volunteering with Furry Friends for a couple years and has been an amazing contribution to our team. She has fostered over 50 cats and kittens so far for Furry Friends, and not just the easy ones. She has fostered several bottle baby kittens that require feeding every two hours and has taken on some of the difficult medical cases like Monnie. She also is the lead person for our email/voice mail team, plays a significant role on our medical team and has done a number of other tasks including fundraising. For 2020 she put in about 570 volunteer hours for Furry Friends. We are so grateful for all she does.