Caring for others often means providing for the smallest and most fragile. For Random Acts HR Recruiter Stephanie McCabe, this translates to tiny bundles of soft fur with knife-sharp claws: kittens. Stephanie partnered with the Jacksonville Humane Society to turn socks and rice into kitten warmers.
Warming Kittens (and Hearts)
Change is hard for all of us, and kittens are no exception. The shelter uses the warmers to keep kittens safe and warm after spay or neuter surgery and while transitioning to their new foster homes.
Their current home, the Jacksonville Humane Society, is a non-profit animal shelter dedicated to helping with animal control for Jacksonville and surrounding Florida towns. The shelter is a no-kill shelter. In fact, Jacksonville is the nation’s largest no-kill city. All of this to say, there is definitely a need for volunteers and supplies!
Assembly Lines, Spillage, and Delivery
Stephanie and her helpers stocked up on socks and rice from Costco — and then had to make a mad dash back for 75 additional pounds of rice, since they wound up with “more socks than rice.” Luckily, a group of teens volunteered to help with the warmer construction, which Stephanie shares “made the process go a lot faster.” We can only imagine how long it would have taken otherwise!
Of course, nothing can go entirely perfectly. Stephanie shared that, in hindsight, they should have assembled the warmers outside. The teens filled the socks with cups of rice, much of which spilled. “I’m still finding random pieces of rice!”
They delivered the warmers to the Jacksonville Humane Society right in the nick of time, as the shelter coordinators shared that they were running low on supplies.
When asked about the act, Stephanie had this to say: “I enjoyed [it]. I’m always looking for an excuse to visit the Humane Society. … With that said, I should have brought home a kitten to foster while I was there.”
If you would like to join Random Acts volunteers like Stephanie in helping animals in need, consider donating time and/or supplies to your nearest shelter. The Random Acts Regional Representatives can help you locate local organizations. If you are interested in making your own kitten warmers, you can find online directions here.
