Randy Robles has never had a problem raising his hand to serve.
A former law enforcement officer and veteran of both the Air Force and Army National Guard, the Caledonia resident doesn’t scare easily either.
But trying to catch a feral cat in a wooded area in Columbus recently, Robles thought even he, at long last, had bitten off more than he could chew.
Robles volunteers with Operation Cat Colony, a group that catches feral cats in the area and takes them to veterinarians for spaying and neutering. Usually, he provides what amounts to security for the mostly female group he affectionately calls the “Cat Cartel.” Its members sometimes work in unsafe areas, and Robles goes with them to ensure they aren’t bothered. Then he’ll drive captured cats to the vet.
On this particular day, though, he was trying to trap a notoriously slippery cat for the group but caught something else instead.
“There was a possum,” Robles recalled. “He was unhappy. He probably hadn’t eaten all night. … I usually tell people that I never call 911. I … tell them, ‘I’m 911.’ But I called the Cat Cartel. I said, ‘Listen, I’ve got an issue.’”
The “cartel” told Robles to simply open the trap’s cage and let out the possum. Robles was reluctant.
“I said, ‘I’m going to keep you guys on the line with me, so y’all can hear me scream while I attempt to do this,’” he told The Dispatch last week as he laughed about the experience. “It was OK. I’m still here.”
A Fort Worth, Texas, native, Robles joined the Air Force in 1977, at age 17, making his way to Columbus Air Force Base in the ‘80s. He served eight years of active duty before retiring from the Air Force and had settled down in Caledonia by 2000. He worked four years as a Lowndes County deputy sheriff before joining the Army National Guard for 14 years, retiring for good in 2019.
Since then, he has volunteered with more than a dozen organizations and community efforts.
“It’s easier since I’m retired, as long as I take care of the Honey-Do list,” he said.
This month, Robles has spent several nights at the temporary homeless shelter at Genesis Church on Northside in Columbus.
The Emergency Hope Crisis Response Network – made up of the city, the Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency, the Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition and United Way of the Golden Triangle Region – started the temporary shelter to provide the homeless and vulnerable with a warm place to eat and sleep during a season of dangerously frigid temperatures.
Robles is often one of two men braving the overnight shift.
“One night we had 11 people (taking shelter),” he said. “One family, they weren’t homeless, but they lost heat.”
He met Susan Garton, the homeless coalition’s director, and started volunteering with the group about a year ago. He said thinking about the homeless population he encountered while living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area decades ago compelled him to do what he could about the issue here.
“They need to be cared for,” he said.
Garton said Robles has been a huge help, showing up to help at the shelter without being asked and trying to find other volunteers to cover shifts.
“He is one of the most dependable men I’ve ever met as far as giving back to the community,” Garton said. “He loves people and humanitarian work.”
Building a strong volunteer network has come from volunteering himself, Robles said. You learn who is dependable and willing by how often you work beside them.
“When you volunteer, usually you won’t just volunteer for one organization,” he said. “You’ll volunteer for a few.”
Additionally, Robles said he has built his own crisis response team of combat veterans, first responders and “regular Joes who are patriots.”
In events like a major disaster or storm, Robles said the team can deploy chainsaw crews and assist with getting food and water quickly to areas that need it.
These men also help with Operation Cat Colony.
“There’s over 100 of us,” he said. “We care about our community.”
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 48 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
