PORTLAND, Tenn. (WTVF) — A little girl’s kind gesture is inspiring dozens of people to give back to an animal rescue in Portland, Tennessee, called A Place to Bark.

The 21-year-old nonprofit is a no-kill foster and adoption rescue dedicated to the welfare of dogs.

"I take them in; I get them well. I work with any behavioral issues, and we get them ready for adoption," said A Place to Bark founder Bernie Berlin.

Berlin said in recent years, volunteers haven’t been showing up to help; it’s been difficult hiring new employees, and donations have gone down.

Berlin started the new year off a little sad until 7-year-old Lila Stephens decided to take all the money in her piggy bank and donate it: a total of $27.25.

The two met for the first time in Franklin, Tennessee, for a pet adoption event. Her mom, Samantha Stephens, posted her daughter’s kind gesture to social media, and now other people are matching Lila’s donation to give to the rescue.

“We had a family friend who lives in Texas just messaged me and said, 'I would really like to match that because that’s so sweet she’s doing that.' We didn’t know Bernie’s need. We didn’t know she was going to get the donations. Everything came together at a time that made a big difference for Bernie," Stephens said.

Berlin said Lila is such a big inspiration.

"Like, right now, I have a bill over $1,000, and we spend $5,000 to $7,000 a month to spay and neuter. This month, we had over a thousand, and Lila’s little gift turned into a big gift that pays that bill off," Berlin said.

Donations for A Place to Bark are still coming in.

If you would like to match Lila’s $27.25 and give to A Place to Bark, here are some ways to do so: PayPal, Venmo (@aplacetobark), or mail: A Place To Bark PO Box 649 Portland, TN 37148.

This article was written by Aaron Cantrell for WTVF.

A little art can spark a lot of emotion.

Artists are capturing the coronavirus crisis while turning boarded-up buildings into outdoor art shows that attract the eye and inspire the soul.

“It makes me feel like there’s hope and that we’re going to get back to normal soon,” one woman said of Project Plywood, a project where artists spray paint inspirational murals on plywood covering businesses shut down due to the coronavirus crisis.

The artist painting this pandemic is Weso Knarly,

@wesoknarly

on Instagram, who moved from Dallas to Denver to open an art gallery.

COVID-19 concerns caused Knarly to temporarily close his business, but his creativity opened his mind and his wallet.

“We like to have an element of us giving,” he said. “I myself am kind of a loner and like to paint by myself. So, this is a good opportunity to get out of my hole.”

At first, Knarly covered the cost of paint for Project Plywood murals while he and other artists supplied the talent and technique.

“Depending on the caliber of artist the whole mural might range you anywhere from $2,500 to $8,000,” he said.

With lockdowns lasting longer and more businesses closing down, more of Knarly’s murals are going on display

“We’ve done 12 to 15 different places and growing,” he said.

People are now donating to have Knarly spray paint plywood covering their businesses.

It’s enough to break even financially but emotionally its priceless.

“Creativity is the antidote for these hard times,” Knarly said. “Shakespeare created MacBeth during a pandemic.”

Knarly knows this beautification of businesses closed for quarantine won’t cure the coronavirus but he’s happy to help bring color to his community and inspire a growing outdoor audience.

“It gives me encouragement to get out and live life,” one passerby said. “And not let this whole thing get us all down.”

A young couple from Colorado rescued a dog named Cabo from a dog hoarder earlier this year.

“He's a very sweet loving dog,” his owner Cameron Donner said. “He's just more open with animals, dogs, cats, just given his background and nature.”

Cameron decided to bring Cabo along on a road trip to New Mexico to visit his girlfriend’s family ahead of Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. When they arrived, Cabo seemed right at home playing with the other family dogs, when suddenly he bolted out the garage door.

Just like that – he was gone. After searching for hours, Cameron took to social media and finally got a tip that Cabo was seen at a nearby park. Cameron, his girlfriend Taryn and their family were out there searching well into the evening, but nothing.

This pattern continued in the days to come. Members of the community started to join in. They all searched high and low, for eight hours each day, often covering 20 miles of ground. But still, no Cabo.

"I wouldn't give up," Cameron said. "There's no way that anything was gonna stop me from finding him."

Then, after 10 long days of pounding the pavement, Cameron got a Cabo sighting. The crew sprinted to the given location and finally, he saw his pup.

"Cabo was just standing there completely covered in mud color – he just looked like almost a different dog," said Cameron.

With some chicken in hand, Cameron gets down on his knees and Cabo slowly zigzags towards him.

"It was absolutely surreal," Cameron explains.

He was blown away, not only that Cabo had made it, but also by the support of the Albuquerque community.

"Everyone was absolutely phenomenal," added Cameron. "I really can't thank everybody enough for just all their help and support."

More good news: after his 10-day excursion, Cabo got a clean bill of health from the veterinarian.