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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend January 15, 2004 April Jerden of North Medford High�s Future Business Leaders of America club plays with a puppy Wednesday at the Southern Oregon Humane Society in Medford. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Unadopted pets get Christmas after all North Medford High students donate pet food, toys and treats to critters at the Southern Oregon Humane Society By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune MEDFORD — Four-legged friends of the Southern Oregon Humane Society who didn’t wind up getting families for Christmas received a vanload of distractions Wednesday from North Medford High School. As 17-year-old seniors Brittany Holcom and April Jerden lugged in bag after bag of dry dog and cat food, caseloads of canned food and bags of treats, leashes and toys, a lone black kitten with thumbs (six-toed) stared through a glass door wondering what all the commotion was about. The donations, coordinated by North’s Future Business Leaders of America club, were the result of a project spearheaded by Holcom, the club’s president, during the holidays. Students spent some lunch time before Christmas preparing a few hundred ornaments displaying photos of animals adopted over the years and items from the shelter’s wish list. The ornaments were placed on a tree donated by Southern Oregon Nursery and left at Pet County, and on bins at Mini Pet Mart stores on Crater Lake and Stewart avenues in Medford. Advertisement Wishlist items ranged from food, collars and kitty litter to cleaning and office supplies. While a few packs of paper towels were given to help out the staff and volunteers, those donating were clearly more taken by the animals. Most items donated were animal food, toys and treats. "We were very surprised with the results," said Holcom. "People were far more generous than I was expecting. It definitely does seem to be that people are quite appreciative of their animals." Holcom, who volunteers at the shelter, said she organized the project because she knew how needed and appreciated supplies were at the Table Rock Road location. Wednesday, the two girls representing 30-plus club members, along with club adviser and teacher Aaron Rayburn, were thanked by a cuddly, 8-week-old retriever-mix pup named Bethany. Had the pup not recently been adopted, the girls might not have gone home alone. Bethany sniffed at a few toys but seemed more interested in sniffing bags of dog food and checking out the end of a camera lens. A larger, 6-month-old retriever-mix named Sunny was more into the toys but had trouble deciding between three balls. Bob Brooks, director of development and communications for the shelter, said the donations show the affection people have for animals — a love that landed homes for more than 600 cats and dogs over the past year. "For us, as a nonprofit organization, when people are thoughtful enough to organize a project and then people go out and donate so much it really helps out," said Brooks. "Donations and volunteers like this are the lifeblood of our organization. "We wouldn’t be here doing what we do without them." Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times