Webelos Scouts from Pack 31 in Verona are participating in a service project to raise awareness and collect needed items for the Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter in East Hanover. Mt. Pleasant is a non-profit, animal welfare organization that is 100% privately funded. The Webelos decided to work on this service project because they each care about and have animal companions of their own. A dog belonging to one member of the troop, a three-year old beagle mix named Brenna, was adopted from Mt. Pleasant.
The Webelos want you to know that animal shelters need our help. According to the ASPCA:
- Approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized (60% of dogs and 70% of cats).
- Only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered.
- Five out of 10 dogs in shelters and seven out of 10 cats in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them.
- It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.
Items will be collected February 4, 5 and 6. Items can be brought to 44 Newman Ave., Verona, and left in the box in front of the garage. Needed items include dog & cat beds and toys, clean blankets & towels, wet cat food, canned and dry puppy, dog, kitten, and cat food (preferred brands: Natural Balance, Nutro, Pro-Plan and Kirkland), bleach, garbage bags (40 gallon), paper towels, leashes (6 foot) and collars (all sizes), Frontline Plus for dogs and Revolution for cats. For a more complete list or for any questions, e-mail the troop’s den leader at [email protected].
