Imagine you are a dog, it is Thanksgiving day, and instead of being in a warm home surrounded by delicious smells and loving family, you are in a cage, cold and alone. Every day, hundreds of homeless pets are in this situation in local shelters. With winter approaching, it is  important that all the animals on the streets get help before winter arrives. One thing the volunteers at Ingham County Animal Shelter (ICAS) realized really boosted the pups spirits are the blankets that are continuously donated throughout the year. Students donated new or used blankets to the Main Office during the week of Oct 21st. ICAS has accepted donated blankets from the very start, since the shelter cannot afford to supply each animal with a blanket considering the accidental shreddings and mess that the puppies and kittens can make. The leadership team decided to help out by telling the whole school about it.

   “I think it is really important that people donate blankets to the animal shelter, because it is starting to get really cold outside,” Rajpreet Kaur, a senior at GLHS, said. “I am so grateful that this animal shelter takes in these animals and keep them safe and warm. Humans can be so cruel by dumping their animals out onto the streets, especially knowing that winter is coming.” Students can also go into the shelter and volunteer for a couple of hours to play with or walk the animals. 

    “We started this blanket drive to help the homeless animals at the shelter. We also expanded the drive out the middle school encouraging them to participate,” Julie Srouji, a member of the leadership team, said. The class who brought in the most money and or blankets won an apple cider and donut party. Beagle Elementary School had a tower of blankets sliding into first place, but the other schools were not far behind. With all of these schools donating blankets for these homeless animals, many will be keeping warm this winter. Animal shelters typically have cement floors in the cages, so if an animal has an accident it is easier to clean. These blankets help by adding some cushioning and warmth to their hard floors. The leadership class is very glad that Mrs. Mangrum came up with the great idea to do the drive.