Pet It Forward/Gina deserves the award of the year from our household! We have a precious…read more(ShihTzu) little girl named Princess who desperately needed to be seen by a VET ASAP because I thought she was having a seizure & have bloodwork done due to something she got into. Frantically I called Gina & to my surprise she started making calls for me. Not only did she help find somewhere affordable to take Princess, but stayed in communication w/me the entire trip as well from beginning to end. Even during the VET'S actual visit, to ensure that we received excellent care @11pm at night. Which we did & Princess was able to come home with/a clean bill of health after the scariest night ever! Without Gina walking me through this, idk what I would have done. It's not often that you call a complete stranger & the person on the other end, ends up being an Angel! Gina words truly cannot express to you what you've done for our family. I will certainly not ever forget & will shout from the rooftops that there is certainly still hope for our pets through folks like YOU. P.s. Pretty sure you'll be wearing a cape when we finally meet! #petitforward #shihtzuluv #angelsindisguise

From the owner: Pet It Forward is a non-profit foundation that helps keep pets and their owners stay together! As…read morea 501(c)3 status Pet It Forward helps pay a portion of vet bills, food, spay and neuter to the less fortunate in the Jacksonville, Fl area. (other areas soon to follow) Looking for a great cause to support? Donations of any amount are always welcomed and appreciated! Together we can help the less fortunate to not have to make the heartbreaking decision to have to surrender or rehome their beloved pets due to financial difficulties. Helping one paw at a time!

I've supported JHS for over a decade but finally had my first experience as an adopter with them,…read moreand it went wonderfully. My spouse and I decided we were ready to bring a cat into our home a couple years after our senior cat passed away, and we headed to JHS to start seeing if any cat felt like a match. The facility is beautiful and clearly designed to minimize stress as much as possible for the animals. The front desk employees were friendly and told us to look around, so we did. We wanted an adult cat, and we found that -- at least on this visit -- they were all in a special "citrus suite" that required accompaniment by a counselor since cats can be a bit spicy. It was about 30 minutes before closing at this point, but we were assured that we wouldn't be rushed out with closing and to take as much time with the cats and counselor as we wanted. Once our lovely counselor Charly was ready, she took us into the suite and started talking to us about the cats. She had detailed information about each and talked to us about what we were looking for, what our home was like, whether we had children or pets, and whether we had experience with cats. It felt very friendly but also like a good two-way evacuation (us of the cats and JHS of us), which I appreciated. One cat ended up showing interest in us pretty quickly, and we spent about 20 minutes with her. Spoiler alert: she's sitting on the couch with me now at home. Back to that day: we said we wanted to adopt her, and Charly got her into a travel box and had us wait for a few minutes at the front while she got paperwork together. She brought us our new family member and a big folder with important dates for follow-up vaccines, medical information, and even some coupons. Once we got home, they even sent us some more photos that had taken of our new cat during her time at the shelter, and the online tool they partner with was useful, too. It was definitely a great experience, and it reaffirmed my belief that the work of JHS is one of the best things about this city.

This is an awesome Humane Society and you can tell they care about pets! It is so spacious and…read moreclean and beautifully laid out. The lady at the welcome desk was very informative.

3/25/26. I want to help where I can and this local foodbank (not city run or any corporate…read moreaffiliation). We are open M, W, F from 9-11:30. Clients need to have proper ID-social security cards, zip code for our area and such. People volunteering are just trying to help in some way to those in need.

I so appreciate the service they provide to the community. I…read moreappreciate the merchants that donate the goods to help those of us that really need it. Some of what I get I cannot eat due to dietary restrictions, but I donate them to neighbors that appreciate and can use them.

I went there for a visit on a night time feeding. It was a neat concept. They have to feed the…read moreanimals anyways, so why not invite people to educate and raise money for the sanctuary. The animals seem well taken care of and happy. The have mostly tigers but also a lion and some smaller cats. They even have two foxes and two bears! This is different than a zoo, because they have these animals as a way to save them. Some of them were from private owners and some were form closed zoos. The workers and volunteers were all happy as well.

You've never been to a place like this before... and at first, I wasn't even sure what to expect…read more The sign outside is nicely done, but when you walk in, the tables and chairs look like they're 50 years old... clean and organized, but the area clearly needs an upgrade. But that's actually the point... every dollar this nonprofit earns goes directly to animal care, facilities, and expansion. Nothing is wasted on appearances. And that mindset defines everything about this place. We signed up for a tour and arrived early to walk around a bit on our own. By chance, we ran into Curt Logiudice, the founder and owner of the sanctuary... a remarkable man who has devoted his life to this mission. Hearing him explain how it started, how it's grown, and his vision for the future was inspiring. Watching him interact with the bear they have was priceless... playful, natural, and full of trust. You couldn't tell who was enjoying it more... Curt or the bear. What they're doing here is truly admirable. Their mission is the rescue of exotic animals from serious and often tragic situations. Once an animal arrives at Catty Shack Ranch, it has a home for life. They do not breed, trade, sell, or buy animals. The sanctuary is home to tigers, a bear, lions, pumas, leopards, lynx, foxes, and coatimundis... all cared for with dignity and respect. The guided tour is absolutely worth it. The staff is knowledgeable, the experience is educational, and you get surprisingly close to the animals while still feeling completely safe. The atmosphere is calm, respectful, and not overcrowded. I noticed families with kids whose eyes were wide with amazement... it's that kind of place. This is privately funded, and even veterinarians volunteer their time to care for animals in need of medical treatment. If you see Curt on the grounds... and you probably will... stop and talk to him. His passion, humility, and genuine love for these animals is unmistakable. Please visit. Please support this place. What they're doing here truly matters. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Best Buddies, Int. is a program that pairs a person with mental disabilities with a person without…read moremental disabilities into a buddy pair. It requires that the buddies talk on the phone at least once a week and spend time together at least twice a month. My very close friend is the Manager for the Jacksonville branch and warmly encouraged me to become a part of this amazing program. When I went into this program, I felt trepidation. I didn't know what to expect. How would I handle a person with mental disabilities? What would this require of me? Would I have a hard time making conversation? Would it be awkward? Would I feel sorry for my buddy? Shameful as it sounds to me now, and even then I knew my questions were ignorant, those were the worries running through my mind. However, I also had the suspicion that my buddy would end up teaching me more, helping me more, and encouraging me more than I would ever do them, in ways I could never expect. And I could not have been more right. All the worries I had regarding my buddy -- being able to converse easily, feeling uncomfortable... having to HANDLE them... My God, I feel so foolish for feeling those ways. People with mental disabilities are amazing, loving, vibrant people! They live full lives, with full personalities, and a full range of emotions and capacities to experience things. The only thing they lack is perhaps the ability to be so judgmental, to be so harsh towards others, to live selfishly and dishonestly. Best Buddies is an amazing program that is changing the minds and lives of so many people all over America. Not only do they work hard to pair people in compatible buddy matches, but they also organize numerous events throughout the year that are exciting for everyone involved! We go to sporting events, we go to movies, to the theater, to dinner, we play putt putt, we sing karaoke, we paint pottery... there is nothing that Best Buddies won't approach as a fun and engaging activity. I highly recommend this organization to EVERYONE. It will change your life in ways you cannot even imagine and fill you with a sense of happiness and peace that only a best buddy can give you.

We really love this place. My LO is 19 months old and we've had a membership since he turned one…read more It's so cool to see him be able to engage in more and more on each visit. There are tons of options and areas. The older kids have always been so helpful with my little guy and he always has a blast. If you come more than once, the annual pass pays for itself and is very affordable. The staff is nice. Be prepared to have your photo ID with you every time you come!

Okay so to me the name is very misleading. Not a children's museum at all - more like an indoor…read moreplay area. Not bad for the price but you get what you pay for. The staff was nice but no real sanitizing procedures except for the hand sanitizer on the wall that is by the entrance. You were allowed to wear your shoes inside all the areas but no staff was going around sanitizing the floors at any time during the two hours we were there. The only staff I saw was at the front register. All the kid's socks and clothes that we saw were black from how dirty the play areas were. My daughter's pants & shoes were very dirty by the end of our time spent there. The bathrooms were disgusting & smelled really bad. Probably will be our only time going here- would rather spend $20 for my daughter to go to a cleaner indoor play area that requires their brand socks & no shoes at all.

Review #900 comes in the form of admiration for the Ronald McDonald House in Jacksonville. I…read morerecently toured the facility for the first time and still have goosebumps from my experience. This non profit charity does not receive any federal or government grants or funding. Contrary to popular belief, it's a completely donation-based organization, which is absolutely stunning, since they currently house 53 families free of charge. Patients and their families come from all around the world to seek medical attention in Jacksonville. When I toured the house, they spoke enthusiastically of a family who recently crossed the pond from Ireland. People might not be talking about this enough, but Jacksonville is home to state-of-the-art medical care. The house is beautiful. There's a courtyard, a full-service kitchen (larger than some restaurants), a pantry, a movie room, a play room, a prayer room, a class room, a covered parking garage, a gorgeous rooftop garden and so much more. On top of that, each employee I've worked with or met in passing has a passion so evident it's contagious. I have to admit there were times during the tour I found myself getting choked up. The mission is clear and they are truly changing lives by providing lodging, food and transportation better than most hotel accommodations. Add to the mix, families at their most stressful only emphasizes the Lord's work they're doing. Love, love, love! I encourage anyone to donate or give back to the Ronald McDonald House.

Every Saturday, from 10-3, under the bridges in Riverside, many of the best food and craft vendors…read morein the area, along with performers, local residents, and Jacksonville's greatest dogs, converge for a great weekend event. RAM is just a vibe. We make this a weekly stop and bring our dogs. There is something for everyone here. The outside lanes are devoted to local food vendors and food trucks respectively. Tons of great bakeries, produce and coffee selections. Inside, art, jewelry, and on stage, local talent weekly. Some of my favorite food vendors are 1748 Bakehouse and Mixed Fillings. The art vendors differ week to week and we've made a few purchases. Most importantly, this is THE highlight of the week for my dogs. They get to mingle with other dogs and people and they smile the entire time we're there. This is THE event to start your weekend in the Jacksonville area. If you haven't been, I highly encourage you to visit RAM.

An amazing experience alot of Duval artist out to showcase their talent and sell goods reasonable…read moreprices alot of fun for adults and kids and tons of food trucks Great customer service!!!!