EPCHS Students Collect 350 Pounds Of Dog And Cat Food For Tnley PAWS

EVERGREEN PARK, IL – A recent pet food drive organized by Amy Kazin, Evergreen Park Community High School’s director of activities and fine arts, helped support the dogs and cats displaced after a dryer fire broke out at the P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter in Tinley Park last month.

Students at EPCHS and their families brought in more than 150 pounds of dog food and more than 100 pounds of cat food, according to the shelter. The food donations were enough to feed more than 30 animals.

Siblings Hannah and Nolan Rahm are EP music alums and have been involved with P.A.W.S. for many years, Kazin said. It’s that connection that made the callout for donations a must.

EPCHS students collected enough food to feed displaced pets for a week.

“I’m an animal lover, and I know firsthand the important work that P.A.W.S. does to help nurse animals back to health and find them loving forever homes,” Kazin said. “They rely strictly on donations to carry out their work, and a fire like that could have closed them down for good.”

The donations from the EPCHS community also included treats, blankets and more than 100 toys to entertain the animals, the shelter said.

One beneficiary is Diego, an 8-week-old Cane Corso and dogo Argentinean mix. Already 15 pounds, Diego was an owner surrender who was literally pulling into P.A.W.S. as the fire trucks were leaving the day of the dryer fire. Diego is currently being fostered.

“It's been wonderful to see the public respond so generously so that P.A.W.S. can continue its mission, and I'm glad that EP could lend a hand,” Kazin said.