Youngwood shelter animals get helping hand via MLK Day of Service

Allyson Bitner doesn’t have pets at her Hempfield home, but she understands the value of volunteering at a local animal shelter — for the helpers as well as the rescued felines, canines and other critters.

“It’s very therapeutic to just pet a cat and pet a dog,” said Bitner, 15, a youth group member at Hempfield’s Harrold Zion Lutheran Church who did just that after taking part in Martin Luther King Day of Service efforts Monday at the Animal Friends Westmoreland shelter in Youngwood.

Nine youth members and two adults from the church joined about 15 students and staff from the Pitt-Greensburg campus to help the nonprofit’s staff catch up with a number of chores — cleaning the kennels, floors and walls of the room where dogs are housed, applying fresh paint in a basement storage area and laundering towels for the cat enclosure.

“Service projects are part of who our kids are,” said Harrold Zion pastor the Rev. John Smaligo. The church youth regularly visit a local nursing home and lend a hand with Meals on Wheels, he said. “This is a day when we wanted to emphasize Martin Luther King.”

Monday’s day of service was recognized in all 50 states, coinciding with the federal holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader.

In addition to helping for about two hours at Animal Friends, Pitt-Greensburg students crafted homemade cat and dog toys that will be delivered later to the Youngwood shelter and to Greensburg’s Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue. They packed 220 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Meals on Wheels and prepared bird feeders and socks for residents of area retirement homes.

The MLK Day of Service is one of several volunteer opportunities for the students throughout the year, according to Al Thiel, director of student involvement at the local campus. “It’s something we’re trying to get our whole Pitt-Greensburg community involved with — not just a one-day thing, but spreading that idea of service and giving back.”

“It’s important for kids our age to see all the work behind these nonprofit organizations, how much effort is put forward to get a result,” said Hanna Harshell, 19, of Irwin, a sophomore management major at Pitt-Greensburg.

Monday was Harshell’s first time helping at Animal Friends, though she’s volunteered with Pet Friends Inc., an animal rescue organization in her hometown. “It was just nice to see behind the scenes,” she said of the Youngwood group. “Every shelter is different.”

“We think it’s awesome that they chose to come and spend a few hours helping to give back to the homeless animals here,” Animal Friends animal care Manager Bethany Morse said.

On Monday, the Youngwood shelter was caring for 40 cats, two rabbits and about 25 dogs — the latter including Mia, a stray black mouth cur mix brought to the facility in October, and the eight puppies she delivered there 11 weeks ago.

“They’ll be getting spayed and neutered at the end of month, and then they’ll be ready for forever homes,” Morse said of the pups — five females and three males.

Anyone interested in adopting the pups may call the shelter at 724-925-2555. Prospective adopters will be asked to submit an application before meeting the animals.