Have you ever thought about helping out at an animal shelter or wanted to help animals in need? Patriot Paws organized a shoe drive. The shoes that are collected are bought by an organization called funds2org. Friends of Rescue then uses the money to pay for the vet bills for all of the animals that are in foster homes.  According to Animal Services, in Huntsville, they take in over 6,000 dogs, cats, and rabbits and more a year. Mrs. Coker, a teacher at BJHS and the leader of Patriot Paws, said she would love if the student body donated 1000 pairs of shoes.

Looking at a survey of some students at BJHS, it seems like not too many students have heard anything about this shoe drive. 28.5% of students have heard about this, while 71.4% of students have not heard of the drive.  More students at Bob Jones should consider donating shoes to Patriot Paws because it will help so many animals.  Most of the students that have been surveyed own rescue animals. Some people cannot adopt animals because they may have an allergy. Kafui Sakyiaddo, a junior, said, “My mom is allergic, otherwise I would definitely have a rescue pet.” Donating is a great way to help out if you cannot adopt.

There are other ways students can help the rescue dogs, such as volunteering or fostering. You can go to a local animal shelter and give them a helping hand by walking the dogs. Mrs. Coker said, “If you want to volunteer at a shelter, contact the shelter directly or join Patriot Paws. Shelters love to have volunteers. You need to sign a waiver in most cases. You also need to meet the minimum age requirement or volunteer alongside someone who does meet the age requirement.”

Students can bring in shoes, and the class with the most shoes will get to hangout with rescue dogs the Friday before spring break.