Barnegat Girl Scout Seeks Gold Award by Helping Needy Families Feed Their Pets

Oct. 31, 2011 - PRLog -- When Kimberly Pepenella ,a Barnegat High School Sophomore, read about the new ministry started at her church through the St Mary's Bulletin, she knew this was the perfect idea to create her Gold Award proposal for the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore council. The purpose of the  St Bernard Ministry is to provide relief for families who were sharing what little they had to eat to feed their pets or prevent them from giving their pets up to shelters if they can no longer afford to feed them.

St Bernard Food For Pets Ministry, which began this past summer, is looking for donated food and pet supplies as well as volunteers to to distribute the food. During the first month their volunteers distrubted food to 74 families that own over 170 cats and dogs; which included 702 pounds of dried foods as well as 212 cans. They currently have pet food donation bins located at St Mary's Church Rectory in Barnegat, St Mary's of the Pines Parish Center in Manahawkin, with addtional food bins in Green Briar Oceanaire club house, Heritage Point North Clubhouse and Perry's Lake Club house.

Kimberly's project is to create awareness through social media, printed brochure and  a webpage. She is also looking for local media support to promote the minstry and plans a food drive this holiday season, asking for donations to of dry cat and dog food, canned cat and dog food, or tax deductable monetary donation with checks payable to St Marys Church with St Bernard written in the memo.  Pet food donations can be dropped off at any of the food bin locations before December 24. The Gold Award proposal was recently approved by the Girl Scounts of the Jersey Shore Gold Committee in Toms River because of the valuable service this project can have on families in Southern Ocean County. For more information on the St Bernard contact Judy at 609 489 0772 or in regard to media requests and food drive suggestions contact Kimberly at pepenella1967@msn.com

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