Here’s one of the holiday volunteer opportunities. Project MEOW is looking for foster parents for their cats this holiday season.

Project MEOW adoptables (like Dewey, pictured) are nurtured in individual foster homes, allowing for personal assessments of their character, to make the best matches possible with their future forever homes. Project MEOW covers medical and health care, promotes the cat’s adoptable status, and reviews the adoption applications – you provide food, litter, toys, and most rewarding of all, the love and attention the kitty needs. Please contact projectmeowadoptions[at]gmail.com to meet your holiday cuddler, and give the gift of fostering.

Project MEOW is an all-volunteer, animal welfare group that humanely reduces the stray cat population in West Philadelphia through rescue, trap-neuter-return and building strong relationships with the residents who feed and care for stray cats.

This is a week to help people in need. Soles4Souls Inc., a charity committed to collecting and distributing shoes to people living in extreme poverty and recovering from natural disasters, has set up a box at Calvary Center (801 S. 48th Street) where you can drop off your used shoes. FYI, Soles4Souls Inc. provides one pair of shoes to a person in need every seven seconds.

Project Theater Project, a community-based company working on the local production of the School Edition of the musical RENT, set up an IndieGoGo fundraising page to help this project several weeks ago. So far they have raised only about a third of their goal and there is just a week left.

To help get a final push toward their goal the project has begun the 11520 Minutes campaign. The fundraising goal can be achieved if just about 180 people donate only $10. To donate please go here.

Twelve talented young people aged 16-23 have been cast for roles in this musical. This is a rare opportunity for high school aged teens since many school music and theater programs have been cut.

Set in the East Village of New York City the show is about AIDS, HIV, drug usage, homosexuality, and gentrification. But it’s also about falling in love and finding your voice.

The shows begin on Dec. 4 at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut Street) and ticket prices are kept low. To order tickets go here. For the full show schedule please check The Rotunda’s events calendar.

33 percent of the profits will go to the cast in the form of scholarships to help the teens reach their dreams as performers.

Update: City Kitties got in contact with James and moved the rescued cat to The Cat Doctor where she will be taken care of for two weeks before hopefully getting placed.

According to City Kitties, the cat is microchipped. When they reached the owners at the number listed, they said they put the cat outside because he was “acting sick.” His body temperature was 90 and PCV only 8. He is currently receiving a blood transfusion. This cat would have died today, no thanks to his former “owners” and he still might. City Kitties will try to raise funds to cover the cost of his vet bills.

We’ll post the link where you can donate money as soon as we have it.

Reader James rescued a cat that he found lying in the gutter near Clark Park. She looked starved and didn’t have a collar. James is afraid that the cat may not survive, but will work on getting her healthy.

If anyone knows whose cat this may be or wants to adopt her please call 203-243-7607 or email James at: james.buckley[at]gmail.com. James is allergic to cats and cannot keep her.

Rehearsals are underway for the West Philly production of the school edition of RENT performed by local high school students. Project Theater Project has selected a group of really talented folks who are working hard to put together an unforgettable show.

There is a little over a month left in the fundraising campaign to help this project. They still need to raise about $2,400. To donate please go to the project’s Indie GoGo page.

Check out the video of the group’s first rehearsal here. They sound pretty good for never having sung together before.

We got West Philly’s annual Peoplehood parade on video. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much of the pageant, but we did get the final send-off. This thing is loaded with drummers, puppets, paraders of all ages. The Spiral Q Puppet Theater describes Peoplehood as “a celebration of our communities’ creativity, joy, can-do attitudes and courage to act on their convictions.” It’s pretty cool.