By Derek Schlennstedt
As the temperatures plummet, spare a thought for those surrendered feathered, furry or scaly friends who rely on the kindness of the community to keep them warm.
That kindness is coming from a group of resident senior women at Healesville Holmwood Aged Care who are working hard to make blankets and animal pouches for the unclaimed, surrendered, lost and stray pets being housed at Animal Aid in Coldstream in the Yarra Ranges.
Animal Aid relies on this type of community assistance, with the organisation caring for well over 1000 animals including dogs, cats, even horses and goats.
While the Women from Holmwood won’t be knitting anything big enough for the horses, the blankets are utilised to help keep the cats and dogs warm during the winter months.
Community Engagement manager Elle Amman said they relied heavily on this type of community assistance.
“As an open door shelter, we never turn away an animal in need,” Ms Amman said.
“The items so lovingly produced by the ladies at Holmwood Aged Care help to nurture our beloved animals.”
The residents at Holmwood Aged Care, have taken to the ‘Woolworks’ program with great enthusiasm, and resident Evelyn Stillwell said she loved ‘catching up with the other ladies at the weekly knitting group.’
“We work on knitting squares or patches and then a helper assists in piecing them together to create blankets or animal pouches – it’s a real labour of love,” she said.
The recipients, mainly dogs and cats, are tough on their blankets though, with holes being a constant problem.
Holmwood residents encourage the community to get behind the project and welcome any donations of spare wool.
Alternatively, Elle Amman also said that any blankets that were warm, clean and in relatively good condition were candidates for donations to Animal Aid and could be dropped off at the Animal Aid office.
