BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Bellwood-Antis Public Library is holding a summer challenge to collect pet food and cleaning supplies for the Central PA Humane Society.
Donators can vote for cats or dogs by placing their donation in the designated box.
Individuals can vote as many times as they’d like through August.
After starting the annual challenge last summer, a third box was added this year to vote for other pets like hamsters, rabbits and birds.
Library director Jessica Ford Cameron said she got the idea from a summer reading program for kids and teens last year called “Tails and Tales,” tying in pets and animals with books.
She said she’s trying to beat her total of 82 donations from last year. Cats received 46 votes while dogs took 36 donations.
“It doesn’t mean people in the Bellwood-Antis community just like cats better,” Ford Cameron said. “We got a lot of food donations from families that the cat just randomly stopped eating the food it’d been eating for years. … Cats [are] super finnicky eaters.”
Ford Cameron added food is needed most, but other pet necessities like toys, crates and collars make great donations as well. And all cleaning supplies are accepted.
She said the Humane Society has been struggling since the COVID-19 pandemic began and has cancelled many fundraisers. Having two cats of her own, she wanted to help out.
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Because she works at a non-profit, she had to help in a non-financial way.
“A library is a great place for supply collections for non-profits,” Ford Cameron said. “We’re centrally located, [and] people from all walks of life come here. It’s a nice neutral space that everyone enjoys.”
Ford Cameron mentioned the library’s other collections it has throughout the year, like Socks for Soldiers, United Way and Stuff the Bus.