‘Helpful Honda’ Team Helps Santa Paula Pet Shelter

The “Helpful Honda” film crew surprised Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center staff and pets with “random acts of helpfulness” on February 20.

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The Honda team donated a selection of gifts from SPARC’s wishlist and filmed the entire day from the shelter to provide SPARC with professional video for use on social media.

SPARC was nominated for the “Helpful Honda” program by entertainment industry executive Nikki M. Reed. Reed said that when she read about the emergency evacuation of SPARC and most of the animals during the Thomas fire, she was driven to do something to support the animals, so she asked help at Honda.

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Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver, was the day’s host, along with four Honda volunteers who helped unload and store animal feed donations pets, toys and other donated items. Schwarzenegger and the crew attended a playgroup for two big dogs named Brad and Angelina and were generous with the dog treats. The team also encountered and filmed several other animals throughout the day.

The final highlight of the day came when one of Helpful Honda’s volunteers adopted Morris, a large orange cat that was hanging out in the SPARC lobby.

SPARC Executive Director Nicky Gore-Jones said, “It has been an amazing day for the SPARC animals to get to know each other and enjoy the company of new people. We are grateful to Honda for their generosity and the crew was exceptional. There was such a positive feeling for the animals and their plight from everyone involved. We would like to thank our guests for this opportunity to introduce animals to SPARC.

SPARC is a “no kill, no excuse” non-profit pet shelter in Santa Paula.

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