Pet food drive Dec. 10

The spirit of giving during the holiday season often serves as a reminder of the importance of donating to worthy causes.

The fourth annual “Food for Furry Friends Drive” is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10. Students, parents, and community members are encouraged to bring canned or bagged cat or dog food to Gilson Gymnasium as the Broncos basketball teams face off against Colfax.

JV games start at 1:30 p.m. and varsity games start at 4:30 p.m.

As in prior years, donations will benefit Adams County Pet Rescue (ACPR). This year’s goal is 25 donations.

With its parent organization founded in 1997, ACPR is a nonprofit organization dedicated to their mission, “find loving homes for neglected, abandoned and abused animals”.

ACPR prides themselves on “serving all types of animals”. They remain dedicated to finding animals homes at all costs, supported by their non-euthanasia policy.

“Placing animals in loving, forever homes is our main goal,” the ACPR website stated.

In addition to donating to the “Food for Furry Friends Drive”, community members interested in helping ACPR can become a foster parent, volunteer at ACPR’s Othello based shelter, help process adoption applications, help with special events, or help with humane education. For more details visit http://www.adamscountypetrescue.com.

In drawing attention to charitable organizations like ACPR, the phenomenon of giving arises. Many feel that the spirit of giving increases during the holiday season, and statistics provide evidence to support such inclinations.

Charity Navigator, an organization dedicated to analyzing charities, reports that as of 2014, 31 percent of all donations in the United States were made in the month of December.

The explanation of why this happens is unique to each person.

LRHS student Pake Taylor explained, “I’d say that people give more in the holidays for a couple reasons. First it’s in the atmosphere; people are generally in a much brighter mood.”

“Also,” Taylor added, “in a slightly harsher point, people have the mindset that if they give then someone will give to them something bigger than what they have.”

Regarding her interpretation, Jessa Hoeft explained people give more over the holidays “because that’s what this time of year is pinned as: the season to give… Everyone is happier and with family and willing to [give].”

Similarly, the spirit of giving means something different to each person.

Cameron Weber said, “To me, the spirit of giving means you do things purely to make others happy. I love making people smile and that’s part of the reason I love Christmas so much.”

Weber added, “I love to give people gifts because the way it lights them up is just priceless.”

“I think it means giving what you can,” Hoeft said. “For some people that’s giving gifts, [for] others it’s spreading kindness, and for some people it’s giving their time to something.”

“It’s important to give,” said Tucker Guiles, “because it shows a demonstration of love between people.”

Felicia Ziemer said she believes “the spirit of giving means to give back to others who are less fortunate than you. Whether it’s materialistic items or just offering conversation and advice, gifts can be given in any form. It’s important to give to show others compassion and provide them with strong encouragement.”

All community members are encouraged to come to Gilson Gymnasium on Saturday, Dec. 10, with pet food donations to simultaneously support Bronco Basketball and ACPR.

After all, Ziemer concluded, “Even the littlest action of giving can have a huge effect.”