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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





 





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