Food drive for furry friends

BRATTLEBORO- As winter approaches, cold weather can increase the financial pressures on struggling Vermonters, making healthy food scarce for everyone in the household, including pets. To address this urgent need, Brattleboro Savings & Loan will host their “Furry Friends” pet food drive to support the important work of the Windham County Humane Society. Donations will be accepted during Thanksgiving week and will help keep WCHS’s Free Pet Food Pantry stocked throughout the year.
For last year’s pet food drive,  Joe Little, founder and president of Park Place Financial Advisors, the bank’s wealth management division, built a dog house for the lobby of the bank; it served as the home base for donation collection. The dog house will be there again this year and he expects that donations will surpass last year’s generous haul.
The pet food drive will run from November 25 through 29, during which time everyone is welcome to drop their donations off in the lobby of Brattleboro Savings & Loan, regardless of whether they are customers of the bank or not. All wet and dry food that has not passed expiration is appreciated, as well as shelter supplies, pet toys, and monetary gifts. A full wish list of needed items can be found at the WCHS website.
Established in 1887, the Windham County Humane Society is one of the oldest organizations in the region. Today it boasts a robust slate of services including affordable veterinary care, adoption services, a food shelf, and more. In 2018, the organization performed more than 400 critical surgeries, administered more than 700 vaccines, and found loving homes for nearly 800 animals.
This is the third year that WCHS has teamed up with Brattleboro Savings & Loan for a holiday season pet food drive.
The pet food drive is a labor of love for the employees at Brattleboro Savings & Loan who, combined, provide homes for 58 cats, 38 dogs, 11 chickens, four horses, two hamsters, one duck, and a fish. This year’s food drive will feature a gallery wall of the extended BS&L animal family. Members of the community are invited to bring in photos of their own pet friends when they drop off their donation.
Brattleboro Savings & Loan originally opened for business in 1912 as the Brattleboro Cooperative Savings & Loan Association. Today, as a state-chartered mutual savings bank, BS&L is the only remaining bank headquartered in Windham County. The bank operates four banking offices; two, including its main office, in Brattleboro; one in Wilmington; and a new branch located in Bondville. BS&L also operates a mortgage lending office in Dover.
Additional information is available at www.brattbank.com.