THE HUMANE SOCIETY FOR SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON recently received its single largest donation of pet food, which was a result of a competition between three Vancouver area schools. Organized by Vancouver resident and parent, Kari Wallingford, this is the fifth annual drive in memory of her friend and neighbor. Pictured here are Wallingford’s son Jared (left) and daughter Alicia (right) and the 4,238 pounds of food that was collected. Photo courtesy of HSSW
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington (HSSW) recently received its single largest donation of pet food, 4,238 pounds of food, gathered by students from area schools.
Now in its fifth year, the annual Julie Reamer Memorial Pet Food Drive, which is organized by local resident Kari Wallingford in memory of her friend and neighbor who passed away in 2009, has grown into a collection competition between and organized by Felida Elementary Student Leadership, Thomas Jefferson Middle School Leadership Class and Jason Lee Middle School National Junior Honor Society.
This year, the collection drive resulted in 4,238 pounds of pet food, which HSSW gratefully received to help feed the 8,000 animals that come through the shelter every year.
“To remember our efforts each year, we pack all the food onto our driveway to get a picture of the kids with it,” said organizer Kari Wallingford, whose children attend Felida Elementary (Jared, 5th grade) and Thomas Jefferson Middle School (Alicia, 7th grade). “This year, that was a lot of work, but was well worth it.”
HSSW is open noon-6 p.m. on Tuesdays-Sundays, and is located at 1100 NE 192nd Ave., just north of Mill Plain in Vancouver.
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington is the only open admission animal sheltering facility in Southwest Washington – sheltering more than 8,000 homeless and abused animals every year. More than 540 volunteers donated 32,000-plus hours annually. The HSSW does not euthanize healthy adoptable animals. They remain residents of the shelter until they are adopted or transferred to another shelter or rescue organization that continues to work to find that animal a permanent home.
The HSSW is a member of ASAP (Animal Shelter Alliance of Portland), a group of public and private shelters in the greater Vancouver/Portland area committed to ending the euthanasia of social, healthy and treatable cats and dogs in our local shelters, by collaborating on spay/neuter programs, educational and outreach efforts, and the promotion of humane alternatives for feral cats.
Since 1897, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington has enriched the lives of people, pets and our community through adoption and outreach, and serves as a resource for companion animal services and education. Unleash the possibilities at southwesthumane.org.
