Below are 2 men tirelessly caring for feral and homeless cats in New York and Syria, and a 3rd, a travel writer donating his nest egg to look after homeless women and children.
This Senior Has Cared For Feral Cats Every Day For the Last 22 Years
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Through rain and shine, snow and sleet; Willie Ortiz has cared for his feral neighbourhood cats every day for the last 22 years – and when we say every day, we mean every day.
The 75-year-old collects recyclable scrap metals which he sells at a salvage yard. All of the money he makes, he uses to buy cat food for the 68 local felines in Hartford, Connecticut. If a new furry friend joins the colonies, he carefully captures it so he can get it spayed or neutered.
“Willie’s cats are all very healthy because he makes sure they get what they need to have as good a life as possible,” says Willie’s friend Kathleen Schlentz. “New cats wander in or get dropped off by people that won’t or can’t care for them, and unfortunately some existing cats get hit by cars, don’t survive the winter, or even worse.”
Despite those mishaps, however, Willie soldiers on with his mission.
To assist with his financial burden 14 months ago, Kathleen set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for cat food, vet visits, feline medication, and gas money.
“He collects and sells scrap metal everyday, no matter the weather. He relies on donations so he can continue his mission. He has not missed one night of feeding despite the rain, snow, freezing weather or his own health issues.”
Donations were few and far between – until one of their friends posted the story on Reddit. Contributions poured in, raising a total of $25,000.
Kathleen says that Willie couldn’t believe his good fortune.
“He was so excited and when he gets really excited, I have trouble understanding his accent. He was so happy and so relieved! He really wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through the winter,” says Kathleen.
He said “Do you think I should take a day off from scrapping?’. I told him: “I think you should take 2…”
Video: Willie Ortiz, Hartford’s Feral Cat Feeder
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Man Becomes Hero to Cats in War-Torn Syria
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This feline hero is making sure that the kittens left behind by fleeing families have someone to take care of them until the war is over.
Every morning since the war started in 2011, Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel buys meat from the butcher in Aleppo, Syria so he can feed 150 of the local strays.
Even though he has received criticism for not dedicating his efforts towards helping human victims instead, the Syrian insists that cats and dogs are important parts of people’s families that deserve to be looked after as well. His wife and three kids could have fled to Turkey, but they decided to remain and help those less fortunate.
“I regard animals and humans in the same light,” Mohammad told Newsweek. “All of them suffer pain, and all of them deserve compassion.”
There have been stories of refugees successfully bringing their pets with them on the dangerous voyage to safety, but many of them don’t get the chance and end up getting separated in the wake of the war.
Despite the violence in the country, Mohammad dreams of one day building an animal shelter and hospital for his furry friends.
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Rick Steves Sacrifices Nest Egg to House Dozens of Homeless Women and Kids
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Travel guide guru Rick Steves just gave a $4 million apartment complex to homeless women and kids who need housing.
Steves realized the importance of affordable housing early on during his travel adventures (how else?) as a young man in Europe.
He described his personal backpacking trip as “Europe Through the Gutter,” a wandering teen embarking on the daily challenge of finding an affordable (i.e., free) place to sleep.
With his rail pass, he’d sleep on trains, ferries, the pews of Greek churches, the concrete floors of Dutch construction projects, and in barns at the edge of unaffordable Swiss alpine resorts.
“How else would a white, middle-class American kid gain a firsthand appreciation for the value of a safe and comfortable place to sleep?”
Twenty years ago, he devised a scheme where he could put his retirement savings not into a bank to accrue interest, but into cheap apartments that could house struggling neighbours.
“I would retain my capital, my equity would grow as the apartment complex appreciated,” Steves explained on his travel blog. “Rather than collecting rent, my ‘income’ would be the joy of housing otherwise desperate people. I found this a creative, compassionate and more enlightened way to ‘invest’ while retaining my long-term security.”
The 24-unit apartment complex began housing single moms who were recovering from drug addiction and were ready to get custody of their children back. 
“Imagine the joy of knowing that I could provide a simple two-bedroom apartment for a mom and her kids as she fought to get her life back on track.”
Recently, Steves took his personal affordable housing project one step further: he gave his 24-unit apartment complex to the YWCA. The group will now be able to plan for the future, knowing that the facility is theirs to keep.