The holiday season may still be a few months away, but Animal Rescue League officials are hoping to check a few items off their wish list this weekend.
The Animal Rescue League will return to the Pennsylvania Resource Council's second Reuse Fest, a drop-off event for materials to be reused by local nonprofits. The event is sponsored by the American Eagle Outfitters Foundation.
This year's event will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Goodwill Workforce Development Center, 118 52nd St. in Lawrenceville.
What is the No. 1 item on the league's wish list this year?
"We are really in need of towels, and blankets are always good," said Ann Yeager, Animal Rescue League marketing director. They are also looking for carriers or crates for the animals.
But, the Animal Rescue League is just one of the nonprofits collecting items at this year's event. Others include Global Links, Construction Junction, Free Ride, Goodwill, Gay & Lesbian Community Center, Off the Floor and Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse. KDKA Radio will also be at the event collecting food for a local food bank.
Due to last year's logistical problems, participants will bring their items to a centralized point in the parking lot. Then, volunteers will sort the items, giving them to the appropriate nonprofit.
While there is a little overlap, each nonprofit has a niche of what it is look for, said Sarah Alessio Shea, PRC environmental education coordinator.
Each nonprofit will also distribute information about its mission to increase the public's knowledge of them, Ms. Alessio Shea added.
For Global Links, the event allows the nonprofit to meet people from the community, connecting with them, according to Hayley Brugos, the nonprofit's medical outreach manager.
"This initiative is something people in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania can do," she said, adding that Global Links is in need of nebulizers and scrubs.
For more information about the event and the items that can be donated, go to www.zerowastepgh.org/reuse or contact Ms. Alessio Shea at 412-488-7490.
First Published: August 2, 2013, 4:00 a.m.
