Hoosac Valley Students, Rescue Collect Pet Food for Tornado Victims
CHESHIRE, Mass — Hoosac Valley Middle and High School students have teamed up with dog rescue Got Spots Etc. for a pet food collection drive to benefit a Kentucky town devastated by tornadoes in December.
Kathy Hynes, founder of Got Spots Etc., said they received nearly 800 donations so far, all of which will go to the Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter. Nearly three dozen tornadoes tore through four states on Dec. 10 and 11, and Mayfield was right in the path. The storms killed 76 people in Kentucky alone and caused significant damage to property and the community.
"[The students] are the ones that are responsible for collecting the goodies and packaging them up for when it's time to rock and roll down to Kentucky," Hynes said.
(McCann Technical School collected goods for the people of Mayfield in December.)
The student councils for the middle and high schools have been collecting donations. In addition, students promoted the donation drive by creating posters, writing press releases and telling the school community.
"They spread the word through our superintendent's notes and our notes to families from the principal of the middle school," said Jennifer Kline, a teacher and Student Council adviser for the middle school. "So word easily spread and quickly spread. And before you knew it, our collection was off and running."
Hynes said several businesses are working with the donation drive, including Berkshire Outfitters, Adams' Hometown Market and Smith Brothers-McAndrews Insurance. While the middle school has completed its portion of the donation drive effort, Kline said the high school's work is still ongoing.
"I feel like we are trying our best to, one step at a time, try to change this world to a better place," Kline said. "I think the world is a pretty gloomy place right now for multiple reasons. And if we can do our small part in trying to change the world and make it a better place, then I call that a win for our school and for our children."
Once the donation drive is complete, the students will have the opportunity to meet David Spalding, Mayfield-Graves County Animal Shelter board president, via Zoom. Hynes said the driver, who will be spending two days driving the donations to Mayfield, will also be in attendance.
"They're going to, first hand, to be able to see his face and hear his voice," she said.
Relief efforts for pets, according to Hynes, are vital for situations such as Mayfield. Having worked in relief efforts for other natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2006, Hynes said she thinks pets can provide comfort for those struggling in the aftermath of tragedy.
"For a lot of people, that's their lifeline, their animal," she said. "And if they were to have to choose between getting their medication or feeding their pet, most people would say 'I'm feeding my animal.' We don't want people to have to make that choice."
Kline said she and the students wanted to help when they heard about the food drive after learning about it. The students' effort to collect donations, she said, has highlighted the their ability to show empathy for people and animals.
"When we brought the idea to the student council, they were super excited about it," she said. "A lot of them could relate because they have their own pets at their house. So it's definitely a relatable experience."
Hynes agreed, saying the donation drive is a critical learning experience for all the students involved. She said the students are selfless and applauded their ability to relate to and connect with others.
"Not only are we promoting community awareness, that there's more than just Adam and Cheshire in this world, but it's increasing their skills," she said. "Their verbal skills, their teamwork, grammar, English. It's a learning experience in more ways than one for the kids."
Donations are being taken through the high school and a collection box is being set up at Adams' Hometown Market.
Tags: donations, pets,
