Community Corner
St. Patricia Parish Shelter Pet Food & Pet Supply Drive
On November 30, 2013 from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. and
December 1 from 7:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. St. Patricia Parish, 9050 South 86th
Avenue in Hickory Hills, and their resident mascot, Shadow the Dog, a beautiful
black lab, who was once a shelter pet herself, will be collecting pet food and
pet supplies to help save the lives of shelter animals. Shadow the Dog was
fortunate enough to find her own “forever family” with St. Patricia’s pastor, Fr.
Marc Pasciak and his parish staff, but other dogs and cats are not as
fortunate. Thousands of animals continue to be senselessly euthanized in “high-kill”
animal shelters. No cat or dog deserves to die.
Donations of pet food, pet supplies, gift cards to pet
supply stores, or monetary tax deductible donations, will directly benefit the
Illinois branch of Stop the Suffering, an animal rescue organization, whose
goal is to free cats and dogs from “high-kill” shelters and place them into
loving “Forever Families.” Thanks to the internet and social media, Stop the
Suffering is constantly expanding their outreach and hope to someday have a
network of volunteers from coast to coast across the entire United States so no
animal ever has to suffer again.
Stop the Suffering is a unique multistate rescue
partnership serving Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and
beyond. A registered 501(c)3 charity, Stop the Suffering makes a real
difference by saving the lives of cats and dogs waiting to be euthanized. Instead
of owning a brick and mortar shelter, Stop the Suffering is dedicated to legally
rescuing cats and dogs set to be euthanized at high kill-shelters and placing
them in protective homes. They are animal advocates organizing pet adoption
drives, low cost spay/neuter services and educating the public on proper animal
care. Stop the Suffering also assists
animals displaced by natural disasters or large scale cases of abuse and
neglect.
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Stop the Suffering volunteers gather animals about to be
euthanized at “high-kill” shelters, feed them, keep them warm or cool depending
on the season, drive them great distances to safety, provide them with vaccinations,
spay/neuter services and medical treatment if necessary, and finally place them
into loving permanent homes. If a permanent home is not immediately available,
Stop the Suffering has a multi-state network of pre-approved private foster
families in place, where animals are treated humanely and lovingly, in a
compassionate household, until permanent homes can be found.
Stop the Suffering believes animals should be sheltered
in private homes, where they can feel safe and secure with a real family and
never need to fear being euthanized. With a network of volunteers, foster homes
and volunteer drivers serving the Midwest and Great Lakes region of the United
States, the home office in Ohio acts as a dispatch center, keeping tabs on
high-kill shelters throughout the Midwest, and beating the clock to get their
volunteer drivers to those animals just in the nick of time.
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To provide an example of how this works, Shelly at the
home office in Ohio, will receive a tip about a group of animals slated to be
euthanized. Shelly contacts Don, the lead driver for the Illinois branch of
Stop the Suffering to inform him a high-kill shelter will be euthanizing a
group of animals on a specific day and time. Don drives to the shelter, no
matter how many miles away it might be, at his own expense. Don pays the “Pull
Fees” to legally release the cats and dogs from the custody of the high-kill
shelter. Don carefully secures the animals and drives them to freedom in his specially
modified, pet-friendly, transport vehicle, feeds them and attends to any urgent
care matters. The first goal is to save
them from dying. Once that goal has been met, the animals receive medical
treatment and will be taken to a safe location where pre-approved adoptive or
foster families can pick them up.
Distance does not matter for a “Stop the Suffering”
volunteer driver. If it is learned that a shelter 1000 miles away is set to
euthanize a group of dog and cats, there is always a dedicated driver willing to
go out there and rescue them. In addition to becoming loving family pets, many
of the rescue animals have gone on to become service animals, therapy animals
and companion animals for hospital patients, the elderly, the physically or
mentally challenged, disabled Veterans and shut-ins.
On November 29 and December 1, there will be donation boxes
and a display set up in the gathering space of the church, or outdoors if
weather permits. There will be complimentary oversized bookmarks from Author
K.P. Lynne’s forth-coming children’s book about a homeless cat called, “Litty
Kitter Is Kitty Litter Spelled Backwards” as well as complimentary pet care and
pet adoption brochures courtesy of State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka’s
Comptroller’s Critters Pet Adoption Program, while supplies last. K.P. Lynne is
a volunteer for Stop the Suffering and Comptroller’s Critters Pet Adoption
Program.
Anything you can donate to assist the efforts of Stop the
Suffering would be greatly appreciated. Even one small can of cat food or dog
food can make a real difference in the life of one special kitty or dog. Some
examples of items to donate would include dog or cat food in cans, boxes or
bags, kitty litter, collars, leashes, spot-on flea treatments, flea collars,
treats, toys, scratching posts, litter boxes, old blankets and towels, or
anything else your heart desires. We will gladly accept items for small animals
such as birds, hamsters, turtles and gerbils. Tax receipts will be available
upon request. For more information go to www.PetDrive.Homestead.com or email at StPatriciaPetSupplyDrive@gmail.com