GLENMONT — A Glenmont State Farm agency donated food, toys, bedding, blankets, totes and pop-up tents for pets to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society on Saturday, May 30. It is also trying to raise up to $1,000 through the end of June for it.
State Farm agent James Leone said he has always supported the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society “because I’m a cat lover and I’ve always adopted cats through them and they’re the primary place in the Capital Region that inspires me about taking care of pets.”
Based in Menands, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1887 and is the oldest and largest animal protection organization in the Capital District. According to its website, it provides shelter for stray, abused and unwanted animals; it also has low-cost spay/neuter and wellness services, vaccination and microchip clinics, stray housing, dog training, a pet food pantry and humane education programming for all ages.
Its website also includes a wishlist of items — including canned food, motion and plastic toys, food puzzles and cat beds — that the public is encouraged to donate to them to help continue caring for and feeding its animals. Its wishlist is available at mohawkhumane.org/wishlist.
After seeing the wishlist, Leone, who has three cats at home, said he also became inspired to donate to the organization because of Rigatoni, his office manager’s cat which is designated as the honorary office manager.
He added that since the COVID-19 pandemic began and people were forced to stay at home, people acknowledged how important caring for their pets is as well as pets providing much-need comfort nowadays.
“It’s nice to have something else to keep you company at home and it’s just about having a companion at home,” Leone said. “I hear about this from my customers recently, like the older citizens who don’t usually have anybody else at home. Pets are their companions. We all like to have someone around, whether it’d be a partner or child or a furry friend.”
He continued, “When we worked remotely in the last few months, we called almost every customer in our book to see how they’re doing and many asked about Rigatoni and mentioned how their own pet animals were there for them.”
After his colleagues agreed to help him donate to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, they began buying wishlist items from Amazon and donated them last Saturday.
“We’re so grateful to caring friends and neighbors in our business community who never cease to amaze us with their generosity by finding creative and meaningful ways to give back,” said Mohawk Hudson Humane Society CEO Ashley Jeffrey Bouck.
Leone did not want to stop there though.
Throughout June, Leone will donate $5 up to a maximum of $1,000 to the organization for every auto or homeowners insurance quote request from non-customers his office receives. A customer could refer their friend or family member to request a quote too if the latter is not a customer.
This is part of State Farm’s Quotes for Good program which enables agents to offer financial assistance to a non-profit of their choice.
“Animal welfare is an extremely important cause to me and it’s my mission to be here and help,” Leone said, adding that his agency continues to provide important insurance coverage information.
To request an insurance quote, contact Leone’s office at 518-599-5500 or visit his website at www.jamesleone.com/?cmpid=rnkh_blm_0001.
