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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Respecting limits ... Mural of rescued horses to be unveiled in Talent ... Designer creates spaces for people to have experiences ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Respecting limits ... WALKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Grade-school philanthropist Fifth-grader starts program to feed pets of homeless Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 28, 2015 at 8:33 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 28, 2015 at 8:33 PM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter. » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this issue? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter . » Social News Nicole Hemmerling isn’t one to sit on a good idea. Inspired by her love of animals, particularly those whose owners struggle to provide, Hemmerling decided to start a program aimed at helping dogs and cats receive the food they may sometimes be forced to do without. Two years and approximately 300 pounds of donations later, her program, entitled Peace for Pets, is a huge success that would be impressive had it been developed by an adult. But Hemmerling wasn’t an adult when she created Peace for Pets. She was a third-grader at Walker Elementary School in Ashland. Now in fifth grade and only weeks away from moving on to Ashland Middle School, Hemmerling, along with business partner and fellow fifth-grader Amelia O’Skea, is training two Walker third-graders to take over the program so that Peace for Pets can continue to operate in the coming years. “They just get to shadow us pretty much, for now,” Hemmerling said of her protégés, Amaru Connor-Yure and Skye Pokrob. The project’s 2014-15 school year push culminates today, when the donated bags of food will be dropped off at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank. Hemmerling, who has also worked as an actor in an Oregon Shakespeare Festival production, and O’Skea got the word out with posters tacked up throughout the school and an announcement during an assembly. On Monday, pet food donations were packed into three boxes across from the main office at Walker, as Hemmerling, O’Skea and Connor-Yure looked on (Pokrob was out sick). PFP also received a sizable donation from Nature’s Pet Market. “It’s a good haul,” Hemmerling said, pointing to the boxes, which also contained Zip-locked bags of food from those unwilling to part with an entire package. Hemmerling says the idea was born from sympathy and directed by her mom, who helped her avoid some early potential pitfalls. “I was thinking a lot about homeless people and their pets,” she said. “My original idea was that I wanted to start a shelter for them, and that was kind of a bad idea and my mom slowed me down, thank goodness.” “Didn’t have the budget,” O’Skea added. “(My mom) started helping me explore pet food and we knew we could collect food and give it to the food bank, so that’s how Peace for Pets started.” One of Hemmerling’s first steps was to create a website, peaceforpetsonline.org, which includes a “how to help” page and a blog. In a blog written last August, donors are instructed to label baggies so that Peace for Pets knows whether it’s dog food or cat food, regular or gluten free. “Food banks have also been requesting empty yogurt containers for pet food separation,” it reads. The name Peace for Pets also came from the mind of Hemmerling, who liked the sound that the words made together. “I don’t know,” she said, “I like alliteration. It’s fantastic — and talking about pets, talking about world peace. Peace for Pets kind of works out.” Third-grade teacher Morgan Cottle said Hemmerling simply followed her heart. “She’s always had a passion for animals and treating animals with care and dignity,” he said, “and she saw this gaping need among the homeless for taking care of their pets. At the time a lot of the shelters — and this may still be true — wouldn’t allow a pet in. So she saw this disconnect and decided to fill that need. “(Hemmerling) is an amazing young lady. “She’s the kind of young lady that you look 10 years ahead and say, ‘Yes, that’s about right.’ She’s going to have an impact on this world in a positive way. Bright, capable, driven, passionate young lady.” Walker child advocate Kate Sullivan said the school’s student council, made up of eight student leaders, vote each year for which community service projects the student body will support. Peace for Pets made the cut and that helped the project get off the ground. Last school year was a success for PFP, and Hemmerling and company rounded up another 100 pounds of donations last fall for Weed, Calif., pets affected by the Boles Fire. Sullivan said that for students at Walker, community service is practically part of the curriculum. Students there also recently raised about $900 through a Pennies for Patients fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raiding piggy banks to help fight cancer. “The thing about Walker is that it is child driven,” Sullivan said. “If they have a passion for something, how we serve the community is one of the missions of our student council, so we encourage them to come up with the ideas. And then we support them in that effort.” As for Peace for Pets, Connor-Yure is looking forward to helping Pokrob keep it going for the next two years after Hemmerling and O’Skea move on to the middle school. “I’m really excited,” Connor-Yure said. “I think it’s going to be really fun.”  Joe Zavala can be reached at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Apr. 28, 2015 at 8:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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