Tulsa volunteer Terry Byrd honored for rescuing more than 100 tons of pet food

The Tulsa Human Rights Commission presented its Compassionate Tulsa award Oct. 20 to volunteer Terry Byrd for a program that has redirected more than 100 tons of pet food from trash to people and animal-rescue groups since 2019.

Gary Paluso, who introduced the honoree, said Byrd began collecting torn bags and dented cans of pet food from the food bank after shelters did not pick them up. Paluso said Byrd and recruited volunteers rebagged smaller portions and delivered them to organizations that serve people experiencing housing insecurity and to local animal rescues.

“The Compassion of Tulsa committee has been given this award, when there’s a nomination made, to Tulsans who have done something significant to either prevent or relieve someone else’s suffering,” Paluso said. He listed recipients of redistributed pet food including Loaves and Fishes Pantry, Bridging Hunger, Operation of Prison Ministry, Domestic Violence Intervention Services and several homeless ministries and rescue groups.

Byrd accepted the award and described the program’s growth. “The first month we may have rescued 1,500 pounds and now you heard we’re up over a 100 tons,” Byrd said. He added that moving pet food into households often stretched recipients’ SNAP dollars by allowing families to use benefits for people rather than pets.

Vice Chair France, presiding at the Oct. 20 meeting, urged attendees and community groups to submit nominations for future Compassionate Tulsa awards. “They want nominations of a person or organization that has acted compassionately over a long time like Terry or perhaps in one extraordinary act,” France said. The commission maintains a nomination form on its website and routes nominations through a review process run by Gary Paluso.

The commission presented Byrd with a certificate and a Compassionate Tulsa pin. Commissioners said the award is intended to recognize unsung community volunteers whose actions alleviate suffering.