DECATUR, Ga. — PAWS Atlanta is currently in desperate need of donations. The no-kill animal shelter is facing a supply shortage, and what they need is delivered to your front lawn - newspapers.
The shelter is asking anyone with extra or recycled newspapers to donate the materials to help the PAWS staff care for the animals.
“We use that in our kennels to keep our animals comfortable, to keep everything clean," PAWS Atlanta Communications and Campaign Manager Brenna Lakeson said. "It's extra absorbent, which is very helpful if there are any accidents or spills, which tend to happen a lot when you're training the animals.”
Lakeson said overcrowding at the shelter puts a strain on the number of supplies available and impacts their ability to properly care for the animals.
The shelter has been forced to use blankets in place of newspapers, but Lakeson said this is “not ideal” because it provides extra work to an already “overwhelmed” staff due to “the rise in animal abandonment.”
“Things like blankets and towels tend to stay a little more damp, whereas newspaper is a little bit more absorbent,” Lakeson added.
Due to this, PAWS is also now facing a blanket shortage and is asking for any extra blankets or towels to be dropped off at the shelter, in addition to newspapers.
“Any time, day or night, we will accept the donations in the morning, in the afternoon when our staff comes out and checks the area,” Lakeson said.
However, she expressed donations do not have to be handed directly to staff. There is also a drop-off location in the shelter parking lot where people can deposit donations.
And if newspaper and blanket donations are not possible, Lakeson said they would also accept monetary donations on their website.
“When we have the supplies we need, it makes it a lot easier for us to do the important things we need to do with our animals that will hopefully get them out of the shelter and adopted into loving families,” she said.