Pet Food Drive this Friday! (Carrboro Plaza Vet + Orange County Animal Shelter)

I just did the following commentary for WCHL which will play on Friday of this week.  I've organized Carrboro Plaza Vet's 2nd Annual Pet Food Drive in conjunction with the Orange County Animal Shelter.  My first blog posting on this site was about this about the first pet food drive that I organized last year which you can see here:

http://www.orangepolitics.org/2008/09/pet-food-drive

Food Collected during the 2008 Pet Food Drive

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This is Jake Gellar-Goad. I'm a Chapel Hill resident, and I've got something to say.

I wanted to talk about the importance of remembering animals in need during this economic downturn.  At times like this, there are many non-profit organizations and charities that are worthy of support.  But one cause that’s easy to overlook is animal welfare -- because animals can't speak out for themselves.

One way to help is by supporting local shelters. Economic downturns can mean tough decisions for many individuals and families, and some of those decisions result in many more pets ending up at animal shelters at a time when shelters may not be receiving as much support as usual.

There are several ways you can help:

• You can show your support by volunteering at your local shelter.
• You can show your support by finding room in your home for a new four-legged addition.
• Or, you can give pet food & supplies to your local shelter.

Towards that end, I've organized the 2^nd annual Pet Food Drive at Carrboro Plaza Vet in conjunction with the Orange County Animal Shelter.  If you have any pet food or supplies that you would like to donate, please bring them by Carrboro Plaza Vet by 1 pm today.  If you can stop by between 12 & 1, we invite & encourage you to hang out, grab a goodie bag, enjoy the refreshments, and meet some of the staff from Carrboro Plaza Vet & the Orange County Animal shelter -- plus play with a few dogs that are available for adoption!  For directions & additional details, check out our website at carrboroplazavet.com.

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After I did the commentary the guy who helped me record it said this sounded like an interesting event & that they may even do a new story on it so I'm really hoping that happens to help spread the word about the food drive.  This Friday also happens to be my last day at the Carrboro Plaza Vet Clinic.  I've been working there for about 3 years, but I'm starting grad school in the fall for a MPA degree, and this food drive is one of my "pet projects" (pun fully intended) that I want to see continue long after I'm gone.  So if anyone wants to bring by any unopened pet food, you can do so during the event, or anytime this week before the event (the food drive was actually a month long, but this is just the grand finale event).

 ***Update***

WCHL contacted me today for a phone interview for a news story to cover the event which will hopefully help draw more attention to the event =)