Pip was born between May and June of 2018, to what we can only assume was a feral cat family. He spent the first few months of his life somewhere around the area of Berlin, Maryland. Then one day in late September Pip decided that he wanted to start looking for a home. Pip showed up at the front door of a family in Berlin. He was tiny, and dirty, and thought to be deaf. For many reasons he could not stay. 

So off to Ocean City he went! Emily and Jacek Meadows-Bulak never planned on keeping little Pip long, but obviously that plan changed and he's been with them ever since. His extreme curiosity and adventurous spirit led him to where he is today, a member of pop-culture history, as Pip the Beach Cat.

With everything Pip does, he tries to help our local communities. With a focus on the parts of the community that are often over looked. While we are doing traditional fundraising projects, we are also trying to think outside of the box as well. These are Pip’s current community projects:

Nursing Home Volunteer: Currently Pip visits our local nursing homes 2-4 days per week. He visits the Berlin Nursing Home/Rehab Center every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am-Noon; Harrison House in Snow Hill every Wednesday from 1pm-3pm; and has a list of nursing homes that have requested him to visit that he schedules on any of the days he has free.

After-School Program Guest: We have created a presentation that we take to after-school programs that introduces who Pip is and what made him famous, and how he is using his fame for good; while also teaching a lesson of how you should and should not treat animals. So it teaches kids a classic rags to riches lesson, that then goes over how important it is to give back to you local communities. While also, proving that if a cat can write a book, or sing a song, anyone can! It then opens up a discussion on how animals should be treated. And at the end Pip usually performs his tricks with the kids one-on-one. The presentation is really great because there are lots of places in it that we stop and ask if the kids have any questions and that has been really fun! They are always so curious about Pip, and many of the kids have never had pets before so meeting Pip is exciting just because he’s a cat!

School Visits: Pip has done multiple school visits that have all ranged in purpose. His first visit was to the Snow Hill Middle School library where we invited each Cedar Chapel Special School class down to the library and read books together. Pip stayed in his bubble while I read to the children, and then at the end they were able to play with him. The next time Pip went to Snow Hill Middle it was to promote attendance. The kids had two half days in a row at the end of one week, so Pip came to encourage the kids to come as well. He walked around the school and visited classrooms, and also visited lunch! The kids were so excited! His most recent school trip was back to Cedar Chapel Special School for National Read Across America Day. We read the kids “Cat in the Hat”, made little cat whisker masks, and played. Our next planned school trip is to a school just outside of D.C. It is a kindergarten class that has all written Pip letters! We just received them today, and all of them have asked Pip to come visit them. They even drew a huge map so he would know how to get there.

Book Profits: At least 15% of Pip’s profits from his first book will be donated back to the community. Essentially, if a person buys Pip’s book through us or another retailer, 15% of those profits are being split between the Worcester County Humane Society, Berlin Cricket Center (for sexually abused children), and the Ocean City Surf Club’s Surf Into Integrity Program (that is teaching our local youth how to surf!). If Pip is invited to sell his book at a non-profit’s event, for example the Humane Society’s “Boardwalking for Pets”, he will donate $3 from every book sold back to that charity directly. So every purchase of a book will somehow donate money to our local charities.

Stuffed Pips: Hopefully by June we will have our first ever Stuffed Pips! We are still working out the details of this project, but what we would like to do is donate a stuffed Pip to a child in need, or an elderly person we volunteer with, for every one that is bought. So you buy a Pip, and a child in need gets their own too!

Merchandise Fundraising: Very simple here, we have some stickers and other promotional items that we will be selling where a percent or $1 or $5, depending on the product, will be donated to a specific charity.

Guest at Fundraisers: Pip is often a special guest at fundraisers to help spread the word about the event. He has attended several fundraisers already, with his major appearance being at the end of April for the Show Your Soft Side Pawject Runway Show!

Music Collaboration: Pip has an alter-ego Lil’ P that has created several original “rap” songs that teach the importance of treating animals properly; as well as, a few tracks that tell Lil’ Pip’s story. He works with a local student, Vershawn Hudson-Crawford, a 10th grader at Stephen Decatur High School. Vershawn helps us with our music projects and we help him with his. It has become a great partnership and we have been able to provide guidance to a local youth, and the rest of his family, in a mentorship role.

There are many more projects that we have in the works for Pip, especially environmental ones. We have partnered with Delaware Inland Bays to work on several campaigns of there’s. And we look forward to any more ideas that come as Pip’s business grows.