Southern Tier Libraries Unite for The Great Give Back to Support Local Animal Shelters
From STLS,
Libraries across the Southern Tier came together this October to make a difference for local animal shelters with STARCat Cares: Paws for a Cause, Fur the Love of Reading and Rescues, a regional initiative held as part of The Great Give Back.
Through this collaborative effort, libraries invited community members to donate pet supplies to benefit local animal shelters and SPCA organizations. From food and toys to blankets and cleaning products, generous patrons filled collection bins at libraries across the region, demonstrating the power of community and showing how libraries can give back.
In addition to gathering donations, local library staff and Southern Tier Library System staff teamed up for multiple group volunteer days at area animal shelters. Participants helped clean facilities, socialize cats, and assist with operations.
With this initiative, libraries across the Southern Tier were able to collect four vans full of supplies to donate to area animal shelters and spend 9.5 hours volunteering with 18 volunteers from STLS and member libraries. The STARCat Cares initiative illustrates the Southern Tier Library System’s mission to connect, empower, and advocate for all Southern Tier public libraries. By uniting libraries around a shared cause, this program strengthened community connections, empowered patrons to give back, and showcased how libraries can lead with compassion.
About the Great Give Back
The Great Give Back is a community service initiative created by the Suffolk County Public Library Directors Association and the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, in conjunction with the Nassau Library System.
The mission of The Great Give Back is to provide a day of opportunities for the patrons of the Public Libraries of New York State to participate in meaningful, service-oriented experiences.
About the Southern Tier Library System
The Southern Tier Library System is a cooperative library system, chartered in 1958 to serve the public libraries in Allegany, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Yates Counties. Our 48 member libraries are independent and governed by local Boards of Trustees. Our mission is to connect, empower, and advocate for all Southern Tier public libraries.
