JHE students donate about 'two tons' of food to pets

RIO RANCHO — For the last two weeks, Joe Harris Elementary School students have been collecting pet food for Watermelon Mountain Ranch, which is New Mexico’s largest no-kill animal shelter.

“I could not be more proud of our students and the incredible generosity of our community. Because of them, we were able to donate a substantial amount of dog and cat food to Watermelon Mountain Ranch, making a meaningful difference for animals in need right here in Rio Rancho. This effort reflects the compassion and teamwork that make our JHE school and community so special,” JHE Student Council Advisor Deanne Schufft said.

The Nov. 21 event was put on by the JHE Student Council and in collaboration with Lincoln Middle School.

“We are overwhelmed with the generosity of our school. They brought so much dog and cat food for Watermelon Mountain Ranch. We are partnering with Lincoln [Middle School], and they are going to do an event later in the year. They are going to get some stuff for Watermelon Mountain Ranch as well,” JHE Student Council Advisor Staci Sousa said.

Lincoln will sponsor an adoption event and donation drive on Dec. 7.

The top three classes who gathered the most items were kindergarten teacher Celena Nores (318 items), third grade teacher Alexandra Lucero (271 items), and third grade teacher Kimberly Vause (247 items).

“We are helping the dogs get food for Thanksgiving,” JHE Student Council President Kandra Godwin said. “I am very proud because this is a lot of food, and I am really, really happy.”

The star of the day was Puzzles, a three-legged dog from Watermelon Mountain Ranch, who caught the attention of all students. Puzzles was excited to meet the students, very friendly and loved belly rubs.

“The students worked tirelessly to create signs, collect donations from classrooms, and encourage their friends and families to contribute. Their dedication, along with the overwhelming generosity of our community, allowed us to fill a van with much-needed supplies for the shelter. We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful for the support that made this event such a success,” JHE Student Council Advisor Amanda Trujillo said.

The food collected from JHE will last until “mid-December or just before Christmas.”

“This food means a lot to us because we are able to save this food rather than having to spend the money for it; we can save it for our medical bills, for our perpetual senior dogs and cats that are in need of help right now,” said Sara Heffern, executive director of Watermelon Mountain Ranch. “I would guess we are looking at a ton — if not two tons — that the school has donated over just a couple of weeks. It is absolutely amazing the amount of public support that the school has brought to us this year.”

At any given time, Watermelon Mountain Ranch has 115-120 dogs on property. They also run a foster care program, a small breed program and a perpetual care program.

“If you are out picking up a bag of dog food for your own pet — or cat food — grab a bag for us as well. Gently used linens, those awesome fleece blankets that are on sale all over town for just a couple of bucks. We use those for our animals in need. Volunteer your time; bring the kids out. Come spend your time with the dogs and the cats,” Heffern said.

For more information, visit the Watermelon Mountain Ranch website or call them at 505-221-2359.

Watermelon Mountain Ranch has two locations:

• Rio Rancho location: 3251 Westphalia Blvd. NE.

• Cottonwood Mall location: 10000 Coors Bypass NW, Albuquerque.