krdahmer, you and I must have had an intercontinental mind meld yesterday!!
I recently moved to a neighborhood with a lot of ferals....and I also want to feed them. However I don't want them on my porch (it's small, not really sheltered, & the dogs would go insane in here if there were strays milling around out there all night.) I can't put food in my fenced back yard or porch, because my dogs will a: eat the food and b: eat the cats!
There's an empty lot next to my house though, and a space between my wood fence and an empty house behind mine. I've been putting out kibble for them by the fence, but it keeps snowing....I really wanted someplace dry & safe for the food.
Anyhow I had
exactly the same idea - large Rubbermaid storage bins with little doorways cut into the side!
But you are a genius for figuring out the little porch idea.....thank you thank you!
I'm going to do this on Saturday.
I am also talking to someone about TNR (trap-neuter-release) for the ferals in this 'hood. If you want more info on that, check here:
http://www.alleycat.org/#
I did this when I lived in another city, we got 11 cats.