GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A spirited competition between students in Great Falls aims to help local animals in need. The “Cats vs. Dogs” donation drive, organized by Wagging Tails, supports the Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center.
Throughout October, students at Holy Spirit Catholic School, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Lewis & Clark Elementary are collecting pet essentials, including beds, toys, food, and blankets.
The effort is designed to be engaging for students while benefiting animals at the shelter.
Gracie Grimsley, a student at Holy Spirit Catholic School, described the purpose of the drive. “Well, we’re doing a cat and dog drive and we want to get like pet beds, toys, and food so that so the animals can stay healthy and they’re not just sitting in an environment with nothing to play with,” she said.
Margaret Nieset, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes, shared her enthusiasm for helping animals. “Well, I love animals and I like helping them and knowing that it helps them,” she said.
The competition involves two bins at the schools, allowing students and their families to donate based on their preference for cats or dogs. “And kind of to make it more fun. It’s a cats versus dogs drive with two bins. So that way, like if you’re really a big dog supporter, you can put all of your resources into getting food and blankets for those pets,” Woodrow Nieset, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes explained.
Fiona Kowalski, another student at Holy Spirit Catholic School, expressed her joy in participating. “It’s also fun because the dogs are really fun to play with and do stuff with and it’s just fun.”
The Maclean-Cameron Animal Adoption Center is a no-kill shelter, which relies heavily on donations to maintain operations. Woodrow Nieset highlighted the importance of such generosity, saying, “First of all, we are a no-kill shelter, which means we sometimes spend more resources than your average shelter would. So we depend a lot on donations like this because, again, it’s expensive to keep all these animals alive and healthy.”
Students, like Kinley Stubbs and Hayden Roland, believe their contributions make a difference. Kinley stated, “And I think it’s really special that I can go and help the animals.” Hayden added, “It’s important to me so we’re able to make an impact on the community, even if it’s a little bit, even if it’s small. I’m just glad we’re able to make that impact.”
While the students lead the charge, Wagging Tails is inviting the wider community to participate. Donation bins are available at those participating schools throughout October.
