ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The Humane Society of St. Lucie County is showcasing animals in desperate need of homes by partnering with local restaurants to attach adoption flyers to takeout orders.
The initiative is called "The Opie Project," after a longtime shelter resident named Opie. He was the star of flyers that went out with pizzas ordered at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce.
Owner Scott Van Duzer said the approach worked, and Opie landed a home after waiting 800 days.
Van Duzer started sending out more flyers featuring other cats and dogs at the shelter, helping at least a dozen of the shelter’s longest residents find families.
Now, the Humane Society is building on that success and looping in more businesses. Sunrise City Cafe recently started featuring cats and dogs on their takeout orders, too.
"It makes a massive impact on such a small scale so why not make it a bigger scale?" Shannon Glendinning, with the Humane Society of St. Lucie County, said.
"Because any way that we can lead to more adoptions means more pets we can save down the road, too," Glendinning said.
The Humane Society is calling on more small business owners to join the free program. The shelter prints and delivers the flyers, hoping to help customers lock eyes with a pet that could be their perfect match.
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