Early last year, The Lily Sanctuary was contacted by a very sweet lady named Lynn from 'some' organization called The Parrot Toy Angels. We had not heard of this organization but were pleasantly surprised to hear the Toy Angels would like to choose The Lily Sanctuary for their April monthly donation of toys. With over 60 parrots, mostly large size birds, this was a much-needed treat. Of course, we said "sure", not knowing what the eventual result would be. Late in April, the volunteers of The Lily Sanctuary gathered to welcome the Parrot Toy Angels and their "truckload" of toys. Food, refreshments and the sanctuary banner were set up and awaiting their arrival. Oh what a surprise!

Of course, "truckload" is in the eyes of the beholder. With some 20 plus volunteers on hand, waiting on the front lawn for the Toy Angels to arrive, we suddenly saw a large pickup truck round the corner into our cul-de-sac with a mountain of gaily wrapped packages in the back. Even Santa Claus would have been impressed. Ilona and Noreen, the Toy Angel Elves for the day, jumped out ready to unload their truckload of toys. Lynn, who had coordinated the event, was not able to be present but her efforts were greatly rewarded. What followed was one of the most glorious Christmas events (in April) that one could imagine. One by one, the boxes of wrapped toys were opened and spread on an 8' by 8' covering over the lawn. Sweet notes and cute drawings (courtesy of Miss Pete's 3rd grade students at Billy Mitchell School) accompanied many of the boxes, sent by the great volunteers of the Parrot Toy Angels.

Now, The Lily Sanctuary is located in Westminster, Southern California. But the notes and cards revealed that the many, many toys, which had been both purchased and hand made, came from bird lovers around the country as well as Canada. One of the most heartwarming parts of this celebration was the fact that the hand made toys were sensational. The creativity, the hours of work, and the love that had obviously gone into the making of these toys was enough to bring a tear to more than a few eyes. These hand made toys could never be duplicated and, if they could, The Lily Sanctuary would be their number one customer.

As for the huge lawn covering, it became a mountain of toys that cannot be adequately described. Volunteers were sorting through the toys with comments like, "Oh, this would be just perfect for Lola", or "This will make Athena so happy". What more could be said! Some of our birds were brought out to rummage around in the big pile, and that was a sight to behold. It made us wish we were kids again with a rich family and lots of presents under the tree.

To all of the friends and volunteers of The Parrot Toy Angels, we offer you our unwavering gratitude and admiration for an organization that cannot be equaled in the world of pet rescue and sanctuary. ♥

Jean asks: Hi Rikki, can you tell me why my bird bites when I reach into his cage for him to step up, but once outside the cage he will step up without biting?

Rikki sez: Well Jean, how would you feel if someone stuck their hand into your "home" and invaded your space? What humans don't seem to understand is some of us are very "cage territorial" and we don't like people sticking their paws in our space...and rearranging our carefully placed toys. How would you like it if someone came into your home and rearranged your living room? I don't think you'd much like it, right? Well, we feathers are the same way. It's an invasion of our privacy. I asked a few of my pals like Chanceman, Lady Katherine, Albus, Copernic, Chester P and Mucki and they all agreed with me. So your best bet is to let us come out of our 'condos' on our own...then we'll be glad to step up for you. Don't forget, we are in charge!

Do you have a question for Rikki? Please send it to Editor and Rikki will answer it in the upcoming months.

Angel Toymaker Susan
Toymaker, Student, Jack-of-all-trades • WA, USA

We are starting a fundraising drive to help pay for our toy making supplies and to help fund our food baskets for the various projects we have lined up. One phase of our drive is to publish a Parrot Toy Angel Cookbook for parrots to share with their parronts. Since we are a small organization, we would like to open up our recipe search to all our supporters to include varied ideas and recipes and tips from as many avian enthusiasts as possible.

If you have any healthy recipes or tips on preparing foods that can be shared by parrot and human, please submit them to our special Cookbook page. You will receive full credit for your submission!

If you don't have any recipes please don't let this prevent you from contributing helpful hints and tips. The tips can be how to best store nuts, how to keep your vegetables fresh longer, types of fruits and vegetables that work best in dehydrators and how to best store them. The best way to store dry goods and freezer goods or how to freeze fruits and vegetables when in season for use later. How about buying tips? What to look for in a good mango or papaya and the best way to ripen them without spoilage, perhaps buying in bulk, ways to clean different veggies and fruits. We need as much input as you have to offer.

Our Angels generously donate their time making toys for our needy feathered friends. Quality toymaking supplies are expensive and shipping charges are outrageous. That's why we need your support to help keep us going. Every dollar amount, large or small, is gratefully accepted. Donations are tax-deductible.

We'd love to hear from you...

Do you have a question or comment? Perhaps you have an idea for our newsletter, or simply want to share a story on how an Angel has touched your life. Drop us a line at:
editor@parrottoyangels.org

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