In mid January I got a random message from a cousin that said “My sisters friend wants to donate to No Kill Harford. Is there anything in particular you need?”  I responded with  huge thank you and a small list of items that No Kill Harford could really use to help the animals in foster care and Harford county pet owners in need of assistance.  A little while later I find out an event was created!! This random stranger to me, this person who just decided to do something, had created a drop off event for donations!!

I didn’t know what to say, but was humbled and just so grateful!! The event happened to be on the same weekend as the World of Pets Expo at the Timonium Fair grounds, so it was too late of notice for me or my husband to attend even though we really wanted to.

The weekend came and went, and we got a phone call from Colleen Schmidt, the person behind the donation drop off even, it was a huge success! So much that she had a carload filled with donations and even some cash that the event had raised!!!  They even had a raffle basket!

We set a plan to meet up Sunday evening. When Colleen pulled into the driveway we had no idea how much this one small simple event had raised so much!! Colleen’s entire car was filled with over dog food, cat food, bleach , laundry soap, towels, blankets, dog clothing, laundry baskets and all sorts of other goodies. They even raised a little over $70 in cash!  We were blown away. As we unpacked snow had started to fall and it was truly a magical evening. Colleen had just decided to do something. She made a choice to help in her community, and the community rallied behind her. She even had printed out flyers of our adoptable animals and had them at the event as well.

A local skate shop in Bel Air, Skateology Board Shop, which is located at 139 Thomas Street,  had even opened their doors to host the event.

We chatted a bit and told her a bit about No Kill Harford and hope that she will continue to be a part of something very special.   Thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. She is a hero to us. A crusader of change to help bring into reality the mission of No Kill Harford.  Big Thank You’s to Colleen and everyone that helped with this event!

In total they brought in:

Over 230 pounds of dry and canned dog food, over 120 pounds of dry and canned cat food,bags of towels and bedding, cat and dog collars, some leashes, dozens of cat and dog toys, multiple containers of laundry soap and bleach and even laundry baskets, dog clothing, pet carrier, and assorted grooming supplies

This is a community mission. It’s only through support, assistance and rallying for a great cause that the mission of saving lives of adoptable animals and feral cats can be reached. There are hero’s among us in our community. Everyday people, doing just that little bit more to make a difference. Come be a part of the lifesaving change in our community!!! Join us at our next No Kill Harford meeting!  Check us out at www.nokillharford.org or on Facebook.

Our next meeting is Feb 9 at the Abingdon Library and starts at 1:30pm. Hope to see you there!!

-Kelly