Students cut out dog treats at Battle Ground Barkery.
Leading up to this weekend’s Walk/Run for the Animals event, 16 Battle Ground special education students baked 1,600 sample bags of miniature dog treats that will be placed in bags for participants.
The baking was done through Battle Ground Barkery, where students with disabilities in Battle Ground Public Schools’ Futures Program gain hands-on experience. They make, bake and package dog biscuits.
On the days they cook, the students have a double oven filled by 10 a.m.
“Walk/Run for the Animals has a proud history of offering baked treats for animals thanks to doggie biscotti donations from the Battle Ground Barkery,” said the Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW), which is hosting the event.
“We have 16 students between the ages of 18 and 21 from Battle Ground and Prairie high schools who bake the Barkery’s doggie biscotti three or four mornings a week,” Jodie Rogers, teacher at Battle Ground Public Schools, said in a statement from HSSW.
“It’s a very labor-intensive process but they all work together at different tasks,” Rogers said. “Everyone is capable of working in some capacity — even those with limited mobility can do a lot — you just have to figure out which job plays to their strengths.”
Barkery partners with various local organizations, including HSSW. Through their partnership, they were able to work out a plan to get the handmade treats in Walk/Run event bags.
Lilie Wooster is one of three Futures students who volunteers at HSSW. She said in HSSW’s statement that "working at Barkery makes me feel like I'm a part of something. I enjoy making a product that I know the dogs love. I have always loved animals, and volunteering at the humane society makes me feel good that I'm making an impact."
Along with event bags, Barkery’s biscotti is distributed to a number of different businesses in the region with proceeds circling back into the Futures transition program.
According to HSSW, “funds raised through Walk/Run for the Animals support adoption services, medical support, food and shelter, and support for community programs benefitting more than 8,000 animals each year.”
