(Janice Ridondo) – Let me paint you a picture.
We’re barreling down I-15 at 75 miles per hour.
In the back of the van? A 200-pound potbellied pig named Lucy.
Sweet girl. Spoiled rotten. Thinks she’s a lap dog.
Then – everything goes to hell.
The gas pedal dies.
The brakes go out.
The A/C blasts hot
We’re trapped in the HOV lane, traffic whipping past like bullets.
And Lucy? She’s panting. Panicked. Overheating.
I wedge myself against the door trying to shade her.
Jenna’s dumping melted ice water on her back.
And for an hour – ONE HOUR! – we sit there, helpless.
911 can’t find us. AAA says “hang tight.” Highway patrol? Nowhere.
We’re cooking alive in a dead van. And I’m thinking: Is this how it ends?
Then… a miracle.
A freeway service truck appears.
The van sputters. We limp across ten lanes of traffic and make it out alive.
But here’s what I knew in my bones that day:
Next time, we might not be so lucky.
This Van Has to Go.
Our van’s been a workhorse.
It was donated years ago, and God bless it – it’s hauled dogs, cats, pigs, even chickens through everything Nevada could throw at it.
But now? It’s got over 400,000 miles.
It’s had two transmission transplants.
It’s a deathtrap on wheels.
And if we don’t replace it soon… the next animal we try to save might not survive the trip.
Why I’m Writing to You Now
We need a safe, reliable rescue van – yesterday.
The cost for a new (used) van: around $20,000.
That’s the price of making sure the next Lucy or litter of abandoned kittens doesn’t have to ride in a coffin on wheels.
And I’ll be blunt: I’m asking you to help us out.
Not someday. Not next week.
Today.
Will you chip in $25, $50, $100 – or more – to help us get this van before tragedy strikes?
At Windy’s, Every Mile is a Rescue Mission
We’re not some cushy nonprofit with corner offices and catered lunches.
We’re 100% volunteer-run.
No salaries. No fluff. Just pure, boot-on-the-ground animal rescue.
And we are Nevada’s ONLY potbellied pig sanctuary.
We fight the “mini-pig” myth that gets thousands of pigs abandoned.
We take in the forgotten. The dumped. The ones nobody else wants.
And we haul them to safety with that van.
We Can’t Save Lives If We Can’t Get There
I never want to feel that helpless again – stuck in traffic, pig frying in the heat, praying we make it out.
We need this van.
Now.
Will you help us raise $20,000 so we can keep rolling, keep rescuing, and never risk another Lucy?
Because the truth is, we can’t do this without you.
With grit and gratitude,
Janice Ridondo
Windy’s Ranch & Rescue
P.S. That terrifying day on the freeway? It could’ve ended in heartbreak.
You can make sure it never happens again.
Send a gift today – and help put us behind the wheel of a new rescue van.
