Angeline’s Community Connecting program pairs clients with agencies

Client makes dog treats for Charlie's Pantry

Angeline Industries client Jim Blair (right) mixes a batch of handmade dog biscuits with help from Habilitation Specialist Denise Griffin.

Angeline School and Industries serves Wyandot County children and adults with developmental disabilities. Its mission statement is “working in partnership with Wyandot County citizens with developmental disabilities, their loved ones and our community to provide services and support necessary to achieve life that is meaningful, safe and healthy.”
“We go out into the community and we eat and we go to the park, but it really is connecting with individuals in the community of normal intelligence; that’s our goal,” Angeline Habilitation Manager Terri Long said. “We want to make relationships, not just go out and eat in the community. We want to form relationships with people in the community. … It also is how we can give back to the community with those partnerships. It’s not that we want them to do for us. We want to be part of the community in what we do.”
Through its Community Connecting initiative, Angeline pairs clients with community agencies and organizations where they can lend a helping hand.
“Community Connecting is a way for the individual to connect in the community,”  Angeline Habilitation Specialist Denise Griffin said. “It allows them to give something back and it lifts their self esteem and their spirits. They really enjoy what they’re doing.”
Through the Community Connecting program, one Angeline client walks a dog for a local senior citizen. Another cleans helmets at the fire department, while others visit residents at Wyandot County Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and pray for community members during local prayer group meetings.
Jim Blair makes two dozen handmade dog biscuits for Charlie’s Pantry each month.

Jim Blair (left) shares a dog treat he made with 4-year-old sheltie Charlie, who is pictured with his owner Ashlie Payton, of Upper Sandusky.

He said his favorite part is visiting with Charlie, the 4-year-old sheltie after which the program is named.
“It’s really great to be able to distribute dog treats because a lot of the people cannot even afford basic food so they otherwise would not have treats for their pets,” Charlie’s Pantry founder Ashlie Payton said.
Charlie’s Pantry is a food pantry that helps meet the needs of pets in the local community by providing temporary assistance with pet food for qualifying families who want to keep their pets, but need a helping hand.
Charlie’s Pantry’s Ani-meals on Wheels program delivers pet food to homebound pet owners. Drop-off locations are available in Upper Sandusky, Tiffin, Marion and Findlay for those who are able to travel to a site.
“We are hoping to give families a sense of assurance that they can get through these tough times and prevent the family from having to surrender their pets to local shelters or pounds or turning them loose in the community,” Payton said.
For more information about Charlie’s Pantry or to make a donation, call 419-835-4052 or send an email to charliespantry@yahoo.com.
Angeline School and Industries is located at 11028 CH 44, Upper Sandusky. For more information about the facility and its services, call 419-294-4901.

By CHANDA NEELY
City editor

Posted by Daily Chief on August 18, 2012. Filed under Featured,Local News,Recent Headlines,Recent Pictures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry