Moving through the unchartered waters of COVID-19 can pose a challenge to all. While many of us may be focused on foraging for toilet paper and hand sanitizer, eighth-grader Sydney Herzbrun had a more charitable activity in mind.
Herzbrun found herself volunteering at an animal shelter when PetSmart announced that they would have to begin closing down stores. This meant PetSmart had to relocate all the cats housed in the store. Having already adopted two cats, the Herzbrun family made the decision to foster a five-year black cat that PetSmart could not keep.
“It’s a big responsibility,” senior Alyssa Herzbrun said. “You don’t know when they are going to open up stores again. It could be months.”
Within an hour, PetSmart had found a new location for all their cats. While it did not take much for the kittens to find a new home, older cats, such as the one the Herzbruns took in, did not find a new home as easily.
“Being five years old and a black cat, it could have taken her months [to be adopted]”, Herzbrun said.
Although their new cat, Bimini, continues to adjust to her new environment, the Herzbruns describes her as “sweet” and says she “loves to play with people.”
In the chaotic times of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Herzbruns showed that a little act of kindness can have a large impact.
(Video/Alyssa Herzbrun)
