Gautier Men’s Club donates to Jackson County Animal Shelter

Imagine having hundreds of mouths to feed. That’s the everyday challenge at the Jackson County Animal Shelter in Gautier, but as News 25’s Toni Miles shows us a group of men have stepped up to help lend a helping hand.

A special delivery Monday by the Gautier Men’s Club was all a labor of love. Guy Cagnolatti with the Gautier Men’s Club said, “In July, the Gautier Men’s Club had a project to collect food and supplies for the animal shelter here in Jackson County. They’re always needing some help. They have some great people here working with what I’ll say are working with a less than luxury budget.”

The cats here don’t want nine lives, just the one they’ve been given. These felines and their four-legged counterparts live off the kindness of strangers at the shelter. Jackson County Animal Shelter Adoption Coordinator Maridee Mallette said, “We rely a lot on donations. The budget has so much allotted for everything, but donations are what we really need.”

The Gautier Men’s Club donated more than one thousand pounds of food to the Jackson County Animal Shelter, but that will only last for about three days to feed all of the animals housed here. “We do have a lot of mouths to feed. Every day they have to be fed and watered. The food goes really fast. You have to think about how much you’re giving each cage. We have 300 animals here at the shelter,” said Mallette.

With the shelter at full capacity, members of the Gautier Men’s Club are asking others to also step up to the plate. “We’d like to set out a challenge to the other civic organizations in Jackson County, the Lions, the Rotary Club, all the church groups, Pascagoula Men’s Club, YMBC, you guys help us out here. They need some help out here,” said Cagnolatti.

Anyone can give and there are plenty of ways to do so. There is always a need for canned pet food, Dawn soap, bleach, leashes, and collars, as well as new or used towels, blankets, and sheets.

You can always just give your time and love. When you stop by the shelter, you don’t have to walk away empty-handed. “They will love you forever. It’s the best thing you do is save a life,” said Mallette.