Today we celebrate Operation Santa Paws, a movement introduced in 2001 in Long Beach, California by an animal lover and animal rescue advocate who wanted to set encourage people to help local rescue and shelter organizations. The winter holiday season is ripe with high levels of animal abandonment as individuals dump pups & kitties to make room for new animals as holiday gifts. It is sad and demonstrates why animal rescue and shelter groups are so important. Every day, these types of organizations put forth a large amount of time and money into rescuing and caring for innocent animals who need help. There simply aren’t enough resources to go around for all the animals who need help. Hence the necessity for public support and the need for Operation Santa Paws.
How to Celebrate Operation Santa Paws
You can celebrate this philanthropist holiday in many ways, all of them beneficial:
- Donate funds to a rescue or shelter organization: There are endless organizations throughout the country – a simple Google search can bring up any number of contacts, but you can also go to Petfinder, which lists organizations by area.
- Gather supplies: You can purchase food, toys, beds and other items yourself or gather friends and family together to collect items to donate in one big pile to the organization of your choice. You can even solicit the help of some of your area’s Pet stores to see if they want to donate anything to your donation drive. Be sure to have a charity in mind to donate to, to show the stores you approach that you have a plan in mind for the donations. Curious as to what items to purchase? Feel free to peruse this list for suggestions.
- Donate your time to an organization: Shelters and rescue organizations need volunteers likely as much as they need supplies. Be sure to call the organization of your choice to see if they need volunteers and be ready to help in whatever capacity they need – though of course let them know if you need any accommodation for anything on your side.
- Pass along the info: Operation Santa Paws is still a relatively new holiday – largely unknown outside of California, where it was started. Educate your friends and family using social media – the more people know; the more people will participate!
We support Operation Santa Paws and think a holiday focused on aiding rescue and shelter organizations is a lovely idea. We hope you get a chance to participate!
If you have a story you would like to share or an organization you would like people to become aware of for their good works, please feel free to share on our Facebook, tweet it to @EllieWienerdog or tag us on your Instagram post using @elliewienerdog.
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