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Students Need Help In Building Dog Houses For Their Local Shelter

Written by: Amber LaRock
Amber LaRock is a writer and reviewer for iHD. She is a Licensed Vet Tech with 12 years of experience in the field, and she now creates informative content for pet parents.Read more
| Published on May 18, 2021

A group of students at Stewardson-Strasburg High School is giving back to their community in the most incredible way. By creating the S-S Recycling Animal Housing Project, this school will continue to help local animals for years to come.

Jill Spour decided at the beginning of the school year to help her students create something special. She wanted to give them a sense of accomplishment and create a project that they could be proud of. After a bit of brainstorming, they came up with the idea of building dog houses for their local animal shelter.

building dog houses
EffinghamCountyAnimalShelter/FB

This project was already ambitious, but it was made even more challenging due to the limited resources available during COVID. The dedicated team of students took their project up a notch by not only working with limited materials, but building these dog houses solely from donated supplies.

Jill Spour and her students have now created multiple pet houses from discarded materials such as lumber, scrap metal, plywood, and donated paint. Their creations are gorgeous and made entirely of recycled material!

building dog houses
EffinghamCountyAnimalShelter/FB

The students have donated their completed dog houses to the Effingham County Animal Shelter. Some have gone to members of their community, while one has been placed in the meet and greet room for the overflow of cats that call the shelter home.

“This class of 12 students made these absolutely gorgeous dog houses and donated them to us to give out and use as we see fit. We loved the smaller one so much that we put it in our meet and greet room. Now the overflow cats have a beautiful place to play and hang out while they wait to be adopted!!” – Effingham County Animal Shelter

Jill Spour would like to continue the S-S Recycling Animal Housing Project for as long as she possibly can. Their project’s success relies on donations from members of their community. They are currently accepting any building supplies you can offer!

building dog houses
EffinghamCountyAnimalShelter/FB

Whether you are currently remodeling your home or are a construction worker with access to building materials, the team is asking for the following supplies:

  • Scrap
  • Lumber
  • Shingles
  • Plywood
  • Drip edge
  • Siding
  • Screws
  • Paint
  • Other building supplies

If you live near Effingham, Illinois, and have any extra supplies you can donate, you can email Jill Spour at jspour@stew-straw.org. We are so thankful for the dedicated students that are giving back to the pets of their community, and that this project will help animals for years to come!

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