Animals Win Big In Mead Middle Challenge

The eighth graders issued the challenge, the seventh graders took them up on it. And beat them.

Eighth graders at Mead Middle School decided they were going to collect donations for the Humane Society as part of their community project assignment.

“We thought we’d spice it up by making a bet with the seventh graders to see who could get more donations,” said eighth grader Cara Roesler.

“Yeah, and we smoked you guys,” said Ryan Newton, seventh grader.

The seventh graders won juice and donuts from the eighth graders, but the real winners were the dogs and cats and the Humane Society.

The students raised approximately 4,170 pounds of dog and cat food. They also donated litter and toys for the furrys. They dropped off the donations Friday morning.

Newton, Jake McMath, Drew Griggs and Robert Youngs contacted most of the businesses who made donations. Other donations were solicited going door-to-door.

“It was really cool, we just went out and started asking people, and before we knew it, we had all kinds of stuff,” McMath said.

“We went to Aslin-Finch (Seed Company), and they gave us 600 pounds of food,” he said.

Kim West, the Humane Society’s interim director, was thrilled with the donations.

“They just called us and said they were collecting food, but I didn’t think it would be this much,” West said. “This is just wonderful.”

West said the Humane Society goes through 3,750 pounds of dog food and 750 pounds of cat food per month when the animal shelter is at capacity.

The Humane Society is half full now with 50 dogs and 44 cats. But West said the shelter’s population will probably rise as the weather warms and animals go into heat.

“This is significant because our numbers really do fluctuate from day-to-day,” she said.

West said pet-food makers occasionally donate food to the Humane Society, but such donations are rare.

“For a group to get together like this and make such a big donation is remarkable,” West said. “We depend on donations. We don’t receive anything from the city. It’s great to have that youthful spirit involved.”

After donations were collected, the top 40 student donators were given unexpected certificates of recognition from the Humane Society.

Eighth grader Sofia Alexander received top honors after she hauled in 237 pounds worth of food.

Casie Ernst, an eighth grader, said she hopes future students will continue to donate food.

“I think its going to set a precedent for future seventh and eighth graders,” Ernst said.

After the donations were made, the students got a brief overview from West about the rough backgrounds many of the animals at the Humane Society come from.

Most are abused or abandoned, she said. West went on to tell the kids that many serial killers in prison or on death row today got their start by killing and abusing animals.

The kids were then taken on a tour of the facility.

“This is so great for them,” teacher Kelley Swannack said. “I don’t know when I’ve ever seen a group of kids so energized about getting involved in something.”