Inspired by Animal Defenders’ presentation about stray dogs and cats on St. Maarten, the 2023 Senior Class of Learning Unlimited organised a pet food drive for the animal foundation. The students collected close to 20 bags of dog and cat food for the various feeding stations and foster homes of Animal Defenders.
In September, Animal Defenders gave two presentations at Learning Unlimited about the foundation itself and the stray animals on the island. The foundation’s educational presentations are tailored to the specific class and age group – in this case, one for kindergarten and one for the senior class.
The presentation starts with questions about the pupils’ own pets and their need for loving care. Then the Animal Defenders presenters explain that their foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to help stray cats, dogs and other animals in need of food and water; a shelter; medical care and/or a spay campaign to reduce the stray population.
The presenters tell the pupils about their feeding stations, adoptions, fundraising events and the importance of sponsors to be able to help the stray animals on St. Maarten. Afterwards, the pupils are encouraged to brainstorm about fundraising projects for Animal Defenders, such as dog washes, pet photo shoots and pet food drives.
The senior class decided to take the brainstorming session to the next level by organising a pet food drive. According to Mark Beland, Dean of Academics & Educational Counsellor, the class was inspired by the presentation and decided “to help the less fortunate critters on the island”. The seniors collected close to 20 bags of pet food, with special thanks to Sunny and Nisha Khatnani from Divico who donated many damaged bags.
Animal Defenders would like to encourage schools to contact +1 (721) 553-3116 to schedule free presentations for their pupils. The foundation is more than happy to help raise awareness and educate school-goers on animal welfare and can provide pupils with engaging community hours helping the stray animals.
