Over the course of two weeks, Onslow County Animal Services (OCAS) has promoted their 2nd Annual Holiday Donation Drive. Donation boxes were placed at various locations throughout Onslow County, displaying lists of needs for the animal shelter. In the spirit of the holiday season, OCAS saw a response that could not fit in their donation boxes. According to Jennifer Monteforte, OCAS Community Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator, the animal shelter received hundreds of pounds of pet food and truck loads of items from the shelter’s OCAS Amazon Wish List.
On Friday, December 16, Onslow County Commissioner Paul Buchanan helped arrange a delivery of items to OCAS on behalf of the Division of Continuing Education at Coastal Carolina Community College. Buchanan, who is a Law Enforcement Training Liaison for the college, spoke about his involvement in giving to OCAS:
“…A continuing education employee saw the information that Onslow County Animal Services had put out about the needed items. She passed around the information, and our staff came together to collect a good amount of supplies. We wanted to support the animal shelter; this was an appropriate way to help.”
In addition to the donations from the college, OCAS received a visit on Thursday, December 15 from their K-9 friends with the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO). The OCSO K-9 Unit collected funds among employees and delivered over $200 worth of items to OCAS. Onslow County Sheriff Hans Miller was on hand to present the donations along with the K-9 Unit.
During the next several days, OCAS will be collecting their donation boxes from around Onslow County. Director Howard Martin commented on the kindness of people who have participated in the Holiday Donation Drive:
“No matter what people are able to give, even the smallest item is appreciated by the animals and staff. From pet toys to paper towels, what might seem minimal to others is a great help to us. We are humbled by the citizens of Onslow County who thought of giving to us in the midst of their holiday shopping.”
Even after the holiday season comes to a close, OCAS could always use donations throughout the year to help the animals and staff. If you would like to donate, the OCAS Amazon Wish List may be viewed at this link: http://a.co/6BmDYWM.
For additional information on how to help the animal shelter, staff is always willing to speak with public. Please give them a call at (910) 455-0182.