OMAHA, Neb. -- The 55th Cyber Squadron donated blankets and towels to the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha Aug. 17, 2023.
The squadron booster club members met early in the year to discuss ideas for possible service projects, including a towel drive for the NHS. Airman 1st Class Jaclyn Johnston, 55th CS data center management technician, took the idea and put it into action.
“We intentionally planned it to be around springtime when people were cleaning out their households,” Johnston said. “[The drive] emphasized how easy it is...rather than just throwing them away, they could bring their old blankets and towels to our office. Before we knew it, [the box outside our office] had filled up so quickly that we had to empty it and put out another one.”
Johnston and other booster club members dropped off over 50 blankets and towels for animals waiting to be adopted.
“Looking around there were so many animals there that were just on the cement ground,” Johnston said. “The blankets and towels were just one small thing for us to do and for the animal it is one less night of sleeping on a cement ground. The money they would be using to buy blankets and beds can now be used to for other things they may need, like medicine.”
Pam Wiese, NHS spokeperson, worked with the 55th CS during their drive and happily received the donations.
“We go through a lot of blankets and towels here at the shelter,” Wiese said. “We use the blankets in a variety of ways, including as dog beds. Regular dog beds are hard to wash and dry, and as you can imagine, we do a lot of that here for disease control.”
Blankets are also used as a privacy barrier for some of the animals. Towels are typically used for cats to aid with clean up and in the stray cattery to cover the bottom of the stainless-steel cages. Once the cats move to the adoption area, towels are used for traction and to work their claws.
“We are forever grateful because we go through a lot of them and sometimes, they get to a point where they are getting a little shredded and we need to get rid of them,” Wiese said. “With a supply coming in from our donors, it’s always here and always available to make things comfy and cozy for the pets here.”