Et cetera : FEMA Corps Pine 6 team reaches out, helps animal shelter

Corps member Alohi gets to know Piper, a hound mix.

Corps member Cameron grew close to Macy the cat.

By: Cameron McMahon

FEMA Corps team Pine 6 recently helped out at Wayside Waifs, a non-kill animal shelter located in Kansas City, Missouri. The team helped by walking dogs, cleaning living areas, and socializing with both cats and dogs.

Corps members served for the entire Veteran’s Day week, heading over to the shelter after their days of work at the FEMA region VII offices in the city. Dogs of all breeds, sizes, and ages are housed at the shelter, and even just spending some time in their kennel with them gives these dogs a nice break from the stressful atmosphere of an animal shelter.

Cats were similarly diverse. Corps members spent time playing with kittens, as well as getting to know the older, calmer cats. Corps members enjoyed the work they did at the shelter, and each member grew close to different animals. The team hopes to be able to make it out to the shelter again before they head back to Vinton.

Wayside Waifs is a non-profit animal shelter that has been serving the Kansas City community since the 1940’s. The organization takes pride in being a non-kill shelter, making sure that adoptable, healthy animals are never euthanized. There is no limit on the length of time animals can stay at the shelter. The shelter receives no government funding, and is reliant on its hundreds of qualified volunteers, as well as the generosity of others within the Kansas City community. The shelter finds homes for around 5,400 dogs, cats, and small mammals every year!