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Animal rescue launches 'The Second Chance Express'

| 17 Dec 2013 | 01:08
    PHOTO BY CHRIS WYMAN Ben Ortiz of HEALS Rescue makes his way through a debris pile in the trailer as family friend Willie Rivera looks on. The HEALS Second Chance Express trailer is undergoing a transformation from being ìpeople-friendlyî be being ìanimal-friendlyî and suitable for transporting rescued animals intra-shelter across New Jersey.
    PHOTO BY CHRIS WYMAN Ben Ortiz of HEALS Rescue makes his way through a debris pile in the trailer as family friend Willie Rivera looks on. The HEALS Second Chance Express trailer is undergoing a transformation from being ìpeople-friendlyî be being ìanimal-friendlyî and suitable for transporting rescued animals intra-shelter across New Jersey.
    PHOTO BY CHRIS WYMAN From the left, Maria Ortiz, family friend Willie Rivera, and Ben Ortiz are shown removing a piece of carpeting that will be placed in a debris pile that will eventually make its way to the county landfill. The HEALS Second Chance Express trailer is undergoing a transformation from being ìpeople-friendlyî be being ìanimal-friendlyî and suitable for transporting rescued animals intra-shelter across New Jersey.
    PHOTO BY CHRIS WYMAN From the left, Maria Ortiz, family friend Willie Rivera, and Ben Ortiz are shown removing a piece of carpeting that will be placed in a debris pile that will eventually make its way to the county landfill. The HEALS Second Chance Express trailer is undergoing a transformation from being ìpeople-friendlyî be being ìanimal-friendlyî and suitable for transporting rescued animals intra-shelter across New Jersey.

VERNON — Ben Ortiz considers his organization as the Santa Claus for sheltered animals whose days are numbers.

Ortiz, who heads up the Highland Lakes-based “Helping Every Animal Live Society” (HEALS), a registered New Jersey non-profit organization, is elated about a donation he recently received.

Alfonso Porfido, owner of Dover's Freeway Tire has donated a used 1985 Sundance 32-foot RV mobile trailer and four tires to the organization. Ortiz plans to transform the vehicle from being "people-friendly" to "animal-friendly" and suiteble for transporting rescued animals between shelters across New Jersey, lower New York state and Pennsylvania.

Part of the expense animal shelters and rescues face is the cost of transporting potential pets from one location to another. Ortiz has traveled to, and rescued animals from, as far away as Alabama. Once the trailer is ready, he also considering trips to states that include Texas and Maine.

According to Ortiz, friends and volunteers came together to help move the trailer from Lake Hopatcong to its temporary location in Highland Lakes. One volunteer donated his expertise in hauling large trailers and another volunteer loaned her truck to make the trip.

Ortiz is hard at work removing the existing “people-friendly” cabinets and furnishings so they can be replaced with racks that will hold animal crates, which will carry everything from dogs, to cats, to rabbits from shelter to shelter at no cost to the rescue groups. Handicapped animals also are tentative passengers.

Naming the trailer “The Second Chance Express,” Ortiz admits the trailer’s transformation into being an “animal-friendly” vehicle will require a lot of work and expense. That is why he is actively seeking donations from area businesses to help him finish the job.

The trailer requires some modifications to safely and appropriately transport rescued animals. The trailer needs a fresh paint job, both inside and out, some interior carpentry, and some electrical work before it is considered ready to roll.

Key items that are needed include: kennels, rubber carpet flooring, paint, a five-gallon water cooler system, and help from an electrician and an auto body shop that are willing to donate their time and expertise. Funds are needed to cover the cost of additional materials as well.

Ortiz hopes that in this “season of giving” corporate sponsors also may step forward. Corporate giving can be rewarded by prominent logo displays on the exterior of the trailer, which will result in a traveling billboard across the state and interstate as well. Ortiz hopes that the trailer will be fully operational by the end of January.

More information about the organization can be found at www.LovingHeals.org and www.facebook.com/HEALS.Rescues. Ortiz can be contacted via email to info@lovingheals.org or call the HEALS office at 973-764-8117 or Ortiz’ mobile telephone at 973-787-5107.