Queen of Angels Parish Center
Feb. 8, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
A local group of animal lovers will be giving away free pet supplies at a “pet pantry” event this weekend.
The Sunnyside United Dog Society will host a “Pet Pantry” event on Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Queen of Angels Parish Center at 44-04 Skillman Avenue, offering local pet owners some free supplies to care for their pets.
All of the items up for grabs, including high-end dog and cat food, collars, leashes, grooming tools, pet carriers, and more, were donated by a local pet store that went out of business last month.
Super Doggy Wonder Kitty, a 10-year institution in Sunnyside that closed its doors at 43-04 43rd Avenue last month, donated all of its leftover merchandise to SUDS following its closing, and asked the organization to put the supplies to good use.
Photo: 2009
“They felt that they were taking some nasty lemons and making some lemonade,” said SUDS member and organizer Jeannette Remak. “It was a way for them give back to the community that had been so good to them for ten years.”
The goods at the Pet Pantry will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, Remak said, and encouraged those looking to get some pet supplies to come as early as possible, as she expects that the merchandise will go quickly. The only requirement, she said, was that people bring their own bags to carry the merchandise home.
“We’re not asking for donations or anything, we’re just giving stuff out to people who really need it, and maybe relieving the burden so they don’t need to pay for food for a week, or helping those who cant afford a harness, or something like that,” Remak said.
SUDS also has several other ongoing projects it is working on, Remak said. Once the weather improves, the group will be holding several adoption events in the spring.
The group also recently published a book detailing its history in Sunnyside and the lobbying that went in to getting a new dog run for the community, as well as commemorating important members and supporters of the group, both human and canine.
All profits from the book go towards acquiring trauma kits for the 36 Port Authority police dogs throughout the city, which help protect the travel hubs are the city. Though both NYPD and MTA dogs are all equipped with trauma kits, PA dogs are not, and the $176 kits can save a dogs life if it gets injured on the job.
So far the group has bought five trauma kits for the PA dogs, and is looking to get 31 more, so all the PA dogs are protected, Remak said.
