January was all about “lending a helping paw” at Stillwater Elementary, as the Kindness Club organized a school-wide shelter drive for the Saratoga County Animal Shelter and Lucky Puppy Rescue for the second consecutive year. The school community came together from Jan. 11-26 to collect essential care items for the animals as they waited to be adopted into their forever homes.

“I am beyond proud of our school community for helping to supply local animal shelters/rescues with much needed donations,” said Emily Malinowski, advisor of the Kindness Club. “It’s my hope that students will learn about animals in need at a young age and continue to help spread awareness and compassion throughout their lives.”

Inspired by a common love of animals and their own pets, students and staff at Stillwater Elementary held their first shelter drive last winter. After seeing the power of their collective efforts, the Kindness Club decided to join forces with the school community again this year, hoping to make the same impact on the area’s most vulnerable animals.

The club worked in conjunction with their fellow classmates to spread word of the shelter drive, seeking donations for essential items such as dish soap, garbage bags, dog/cat food, toys, chew bones, treats, blankets, towels, pet beds, collars and leashes. Students were filled with glee once they saw the amount of donations from the Stillwater Elementary community, with fourth grader Cora P. saying “It makes me smile how we’re helping the dogs and cats in need. It’s important because some pets don’t get the comfort of a warm home.”

After packing up the donations with some help from the Kindness Club, Ms. Malinowski delivered the care items to the Saratoga County Animal Shelter and Lucky Puppy Rescue later that week. With two successful shelter drives completed, Ms. Malinowski and the Kindness Club hope to continue this newly established tradition for years to come.