If you found your way to this article, odds are pretty high you’re an animal lover. I’m also willing to bet you’ve loved animals since you were old enough to distinguish a doggie from a kitty. So surely you can relate to 9-year-old Caroline Uhorchak, who already knows her passion in life is giving back to animals.
Though she’s only a grade-schooler, Caroline has pulled in tons of donations to her local animal shelter… literally. With a red wagon in tow, Caroline goes around her neighborhood gathering all kinds of pet accessories.
From her neighbors, Caroline collected hundreds of toys, dog food, clothing, and cash. She then donated her entire haul to the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center in Tampa. As you can see from the photograph, it’s quite a haul indeed!
When asked by ABC what her motivations were, Caroline had this to say:
“I just like animals and I like shelters, and I like what shelters do for animals. It’s really nice.”
Fair enough, Caroline. That sounds like a sentiment we can all agree with.
Caroline’s mother, Stacey Uhorchak, had some skepticism when her daughter first proposed the idea of doing a neighborhood drive. Still, she knew Caroline’s passion was something to be celebrated.
“I was thinking this seems like a lot of work. I wanted to say no. But I also heard God telling me she was going to do amazing things. And she did.”
The Donation Pile Increases
Caroline’s selfless deeds eventually made their way into The Week Junior Magazine. It was there the folks at Purina learned of the young girl’s wonderful work. In response to Caroline’s kindness, Purina donated three pallets of food to the shelter.
There are tons of costs involved in running an animal shelter, from food and toys to upkeep costs to pricey surgeries. A donation of this size will allow this shelter to help even more animals. Lauryn Postiglione of The Pet Resource Center shared how grateful the staff and animals are for all these donations:
“The toys, the treats, all of that, is a great form of enrichment for the animals. We always appreciate those donations.”
Since the Uhorchak family is a military family, they’ll be relocating from Florida to Arizona soon. My guess is some shelter animals in Arizona are about to have good fortune.
H/T: ABC Action News
Featured Image: Screenshot, ABC Action News
Toledo, United States.
