1. In this day and age, where people within our country are having to decide between food, shelter
and clothing according to what they can afford, it is the rare person who goes that extra mile to
look out for their neighbors. Holly Mastroianni of Royal Flush Havanese in Charlestown, Rhode
Island is just that person. In her quest to find loving, responsible families with which to place her
adorable Havanese puppies, she is gathering food and financial donations for her local food
bank.
In 2011, Holly began her innovative program by giving her puppy buyers a deep discount on the
price of their puppy in exchange for a donation of either 20 canned goods or non-perishable food
items - or a $100 financial contribution. The beneficiary of this selfless endeavor is RICAN, the
Rhode Island Center Assisting Those in Need. And Holly's generosity is contagious; often her
customers will give more items or financial aid than requested, because they know they are
helping people who really need it. Since Holly began "giving back" more than 12 months ago,
she has single-handedly raised thousands of dollars worth of food donations for this worthy
organization, as well as lots of financial contributions.