Butte Northwestern Energy Employees make impressive donation to Montana Shelter Animals

Let's be honest, it can be hard for a purchase at the Butte Walmart to stand out.  In the decades since they've opened, many of us have seen just about everything we could imagine, particularly back in the days when it stayed open around-the-clock.  So, when I saw Colleen McDonald and Eric Thorsrud checking out a literal mountain of pet food, I was a little bit inquisitive.

"That must be one hungry dog," I commented to Colleen.  She told me with a smile that they were for a lot of dogs.  Cats too.  The dogs and cats at the Chelsea Bailey Animal Shelter.  But McDonald and Thorsrud do not even work at the shelter.  They work at the Uptown Northwestern Energy office and all of this food, and then some, was the result of some clever fundraising between departments and some very generous individual donors, all because they found out that the shelter needed help.

"We brought them a lot of food last year when their community pantry needed restocking, "McDonald told us, "So, at our general office here in Butte, we put out a call because we heard through Facebook that they were once in need of food at their community pantry for the dogs and cats of Butte."  It was then that McDonald and Thorsrud took action.  "We took up a collection and raised just over $1100, so we're able to fill 'em up with dog and cat food and then give them some money so they can buy more when they need it."