![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Being a pet owner is an honor and a privilege that many people undertake with open hearts and homes. However, outside circumstances can prevent pet owners from providing for their furry companions, and this is where ACTion Programs for Pets comes in with a helping hand.
Michel Meunier has overseen the ACTion Programs for Pets’ food bank and donation center for 15 years. Since moving locations in 2020, Meunier, with the help of some staff and volunteers, transformed their new nonprofit location into a small sanctuary for rescue animals and a help center. Some of the volunteers have been working with Meunier since before the move, including sisters Ashley and Shannon Smith.
“It was hard work, for sure, but we had a pretty decent group of us that kept it going,” Ashley Smith said, “And here we are now, right, 15 years later.”
One of the benefits of the food bank is that owners don’t have to worry about the cost of pet food and can focus on veterinary care. Shannon Smith said while the food bank tries to work with clients on pet owner responsibility, and Meunier added that continually disregarding the rules means being no longer able to receive donations.
“Responsibility is built into [the food bank] for long-term use, so, meaning, [pet owners] have to make sure they’re going to work on getting their animals vaccinated, neutered, especially,” Meunier said.
In 2024, the food bank has experienced an increase in clients visiting the food bank due to churches, unhoused community areas, and pet rescue shelters spreading the word.
“The word’s gotten out more for the food bank, we’ve had a lot of new clients this year,” Ashley Smith said. “I think, especially through the homeless places.”
However, the size of donations coming in has not matched the amount of people needing aid. The staff determine the amount of food for clients based on the size of and number of pets. Still, the volunteers and staff are only able to give out what they have in stock, and once that supply runs out, they stay until closing to tell people there is nothing left.
“And people have gotten used to that, unfortunately, just because we tell everybody donations have been slow,” Shannon Smith said. “We can’t give out as much as we used to.”
If community members want to donate, the food bank accepts more than just food items for cats and dogs. They take donations of any kind including blankets, hay, harnesses, or even pet clothes.
“Any animal product you have, we’ll take, because some of our clients have pigs or goats or horses or parakeets or boa constrictors [or] pet rats [or] chickens, “Ashley Smith said. “I mean we take any and all animal type donations. Anything to do with animals.”
Meunier and her volunteers also accept monetary donations to help them buy food to add to their inventory.
“This year for our 15th birthday, we’ve been making this push for the community to help us by becoming monthly donors,” Meunier said. “So, people would just donate 10 bucks a month. Imagine if we have 13,000 followers on Facebook alone. If, you know, half those people donated five, 10 bucks a month we’d always be able to afford to buy food.”
Ashley Smith said the biggest thing students can do to help is to educate, and be educated, on taking care of their pet’s health and donate if possible.
“I know people don’t think spending three or four bucks on a bag of food is helpful,” Ashley Smith said, “It is, because if 20 of you bring us those small bags [of food], then those are especially helpful for our folks who walk [to the food bank].”
This story was originally published on NMSU Round Up on October 14, 2024.