Davis FFA holds Sacramento SPCA donation drive

Article by Alyssa Hwang 

From now until Jan. 30, the Future Farmers of America (FFA) Davis High chapter is collecting donations ranging from fleece blankets to classical CDs to support the Sacramento SPCA. 

The FFA Citizenship Committee, led by co-chairs junior Liberty Whiting and sophomore Helen Zamani, coordinated the Sacramento SPCA donation drive following its recent donation drive for the St. John’s Shelter in December.

“This is an annual event that we have run since 2022, so our officers were very excited about doing it again this year,” FFA adviser Aria Miller said.

The Sacramento SPCA is a non-profit organization and open-admission animal shelter dedicated to protecting animal lives and assisting pet owners through education and animal welfare services.

“Stray animals (can) greatly negatively affect the community, especially a local ecosystem, as they kill local animals. They can become dominant predators in local ecosystems and they can spread disease around,” Zamani said. “The more donations they have, the more easily they’re able to sustain a larger amount of animals.”

The donation drive presents all students with an easy opportunity to support animal welfare, including those outside of FFA. 

“Sometimes shelters can be pretty picky about who goes in and who volunteers, so it’s definitely an easier way to help without having to go too far out of your way,” Whiting said. “It’s pretty difficult, but I think the process of becoming a volunteer at any of these places is also really worth it if this is something you’re interested in.”

The main items needed to address ongoing needs include towels, 9V batteries, classical CDs for animal kennels and unopened dog and cat treats, but all items listed on the Sacramento SPCA wishlist can be donated. The entire wishlist can be found at sspca.org/post/our-wishlist.

“I’ve gotten all my animals that I love so much from the SPCA and it’s just a really great organization,” Zamani said. “Even just donating a can of food can help, so really just try to be involved as much as you can in helping your community.” 

All items can be donated to the donation boxes in classrooms O-1 or O-1A until the end of the school day on Jan. 30.