Pine Bluff-based Shelter Cat Rescue group volunteers are planning to take supplies to Texas to assist animals and people who have been displaced by Hurricane Harvey.
Carolyn Shuff, director and coordinator of Shelter Cat Rescue, is working with volunteers. She is asking people to donate bottled water, non-perishable human foods, pet foods, carriers, leashes, kennels, feminine products, body wash, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shoes and any other supplies to help people and animals in need. Upward of 50 inches of rain has deluged parts of Texas since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday, causing unprecedented flooding and forcing people to flee from their homes.
“We have family in Texas and they say (the flooding) is a lot worse than is being portrayed on the news,” Shuff said. “We help injured and abandoned cats and dogs. When someone calls us, we respond. We appreciate our volunteers and donors. They push us to save more animals every year.”
Shuff asks people to donate supplies at The Pet Place at 3404 Camden Road in Pine Bluff from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Shuff said her group is working with First Liberty Baptist Church at 8454 Highway 79 in Pine Bluff. These two groups of volunteers will be leaving Pine Bluff on Thursday morning and driving to First Baptist Church, 4422 Water Lauder Road, in Houston, Texas. They will assist cats and dogs by providing medical treatment to the animals, and driving animals back to Arkansas. Shuff said the American Red Cross will provide the addresses of other locations where the Pine Bluff volunteers will serve in similar capacities.
“This is our first stop,” Shuff said. “We will deliver supplies. We will contact shelters along the way.”
Shuff encouraged people interested in helping to to call her at 870-730-8494.