PARSIPPANY — Everyone loves to be home for the holidays, enjoying the comfort and warmth of the season – but many homeless pets in our area spend their holidays in shelters. However, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, they have a plan for shelter pets who haven’t found a home by December 24.

Thorough St. Hubert’s Home for the Holidays program, shelter dogs and cats are given a break from the shelter and the opportunity to enjoy a holiday vacation with foster families. Holiday foster parents are given everything they need to take care of their foster pet, from food to supplies – and even a wrapped present to be opened on Christmas morning!

Janet Saulter-Hemmer of Parsippany was looking to bring some joy to a shelter pet’s life this holiday season and stopped in at St. Hubert’s Madison shelter to meet an animal to bring home for the holidays.

“I love to foster pets to get them ready for adoption because it is so rewarding to help socialize them, and help them learn to love people. When they go to their furever home I know I helped them have a great start,’ said Parsippany resident Janet Saulter-Hemmer.

“It’s great because it gives the animals a chance to get out of the shelter,’ said Parsippany Focus Publisher Frank Cahill. “I been fostering dogs to save a dog’s life. For every dog that goes into a foster home, it makes room for a dog that is on death-row to be saved and have a place to sleep. It’s always a pleasure to find a fur-ever home for the dogs.”

The program is run by Foster Coordinator Kim Lehner, who also facilitates fostering opportunities throughout the year.

“If you’re looking to make a difference in the life of an animal, but can’t make the commitment to adopt, fostering is a great way to help,” said Lehner. “It can be rewarding, fun experience for the whole family, and it enables our shelter pets to experience home and family life and become ready for adoption.”

Foster families, who provide temporary care for a pet while the pet waits for permanent adoptive homes, are needed year-round, and all supplies and training are provided by St. Hubert’s staff.

For more information about fostering a shelter pet, contact Kim Lehner or learn more by clicking here.

Founded in 1939, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center operated a renowned dog training center and three adoption cents with a fourth opening in 2016. St. Hubert’s provides animal control services to a number of municipalities in Somerset and Morris counties and provides a variety of programs including humane education throughout northern New Jersey, pet therapy, a pet food pantry, low-cost spray/neuter of community cats, a pet help line, a professional education and training series. St. Hubert’s is a regular response agency for local, regional and national disasters. The organization also houses the ASPCA Behavior Rehabilitation Center, a ground-breaking behavior program for dogs that were victims of puppy mills, hoarding or other abuse.

PARSIPPANY —Two members of Parsippany Boy Scout Troop 72 attended  the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council meeting on Tuesday, December 15 to earn a “Citizenship in the Community” badge.

Crin Vricoli and Thomas Goetschkes attended Tuesday’s meeting to earn their badges.

Requirements to earn the badge include:

A) Attend a city or town council or school board meeting, or a municipal; county, or state court session.

B) Choose one of the issues discussed at the meeting where a difference of opinions was expressed, and the Scout must explain to their counselor why they agree with one opinion more than you do another one.

There were other optional requirements, but both scouts choose to attend the township council meeting.

At the end of the meeting they had the opportunity to speak to Council President Paul Carifi, Jr.

PARSIPPANY — Community Blood Services extends a sincere thank you to its many blood, plasma and platelet donors for their ongoing lifesaving donations during 2015 and invites those donors who are eligible this January to help celebrate National Blood Donor Month by making their next donation.

“We want to thank our volunteer donors during National Blood Donor Month for their ongoing donations and remind them how important they are to the patients whose lives they help to save in our community hospitals,” said Karen Ferriday, director of community affairs at Community Blood Services. 

Donors will receive a mystery gift card as a thank you when they donate on Sunday or Monday, January 3 or 4 at a New Jersey donor center to help boost the post-holiday supply. The Paramus and Parsippany centers are open on Sunday and the Paramus, Montvale and Lincoln Park donor centers are open on Monday.

Ferriday said there is a critical need for Type O negative blood and platelets to rebuild the supply following the holiday season when the supply traditionally dips. 

“It’s important that we continue to build our supply in case illness and inclement weather during the winter months keeps donors away or result in canceled blood drives,” Ferriday said. As the new year begins, she asked that donors consider donating blood regularly in 2016, noting more than 44,000 blood donations are needed daily throughout the U.S.

Donors can call (201) 251-3703 or click here to make an appointment to donate or to find a convenient donor collection site or mobile blood drive in New Jersey. Whole blood donors also can walk in to any donor center but appointments are needed to donate platelets.

Donors must be 17-75 years old (16 and 17 years old with parental consent) and weigh at least 110 pounds.

All blood types are needed to meet the needs of patients in the more than 20 hospitals Community Blood Services serves in New Jersey and New York but O negative is in most demand by hospitals because it can be transfused to any patient in need regardless of their blood type. Platelets are also needed to treat patients diagnosed with cancer or other blood disorders and AB male plasma is needed for trauma victims. 

Sons of Italy Lodge 2561 purchased $3,000 worth of gift cards this holiday season for donation to needy families.  President, Joe Jannarone, Jr., presented Regina Braham, Director of Community Relations at Jersey Battered Women’s Services, with $750 worth of Walmart gift cards for victims of domestic violence.  Sons of Italy, united by their Italian heritage, is a constant contributor to various charities and always willing to help the community.