Plumbing Heating & Cooling Company Raises Money for Animal Shelter

A business in Stafford Township is sacrificing some of its bottom line to help care for abandoned and abused animals in their area.

Manahawkin-based Walt McCollum Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Company began the program in February and will continue through March to donate ten dollars from every service call to the Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter.

Mark McCollum, who runs Marketing and Technology says "What I like about this Organization, The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter, is that it's made up all of volunteers so that the money we donate is going toward the veterinary care of the animals and the pet supplies."

McCollum says animal shelters have been especially hard-hit by the recession because more and more people have been giving up their pets when they discover they can no longer afford to care for them. "It's really a sad story when people just abandon them, put them up for adoption, drop them off at the shelter. There's even one instance where somebody just tied up the dog right outside the door because there's a $60 fee to drop off the dogs."

He says they're also hoping their program gets awareness out there about the animal shelter and that there's a great team of volunteers that help them. He says hopefully people will decide for themselves to make a contribution or volunteer their time.