Saving 18 Horses in
48 Hours

Home is where the heart is — and for the past seven years, Darlene has put her heart into helping animals find homes by using her photography talents. “I realized that having a good portrait of a rescue animal puts them into the spotlight and gives them a better chance to connect with a family.” Through her business Pant the Town Photography, she joined a global community of artists called HeARTs Speak. The nonprofit group works to unite art and advocacy to increase the visibility of shelter animals so they have a better chance to connect with new families.

Darlene’s heartfelt giving continued in 2021 when she was inspired by her pet photographer friend to raise money for the MSPCA-Angell. “My friend Jessica Wasik of Bark & Gold Photography in Pittsburgh, PA, ran a yearly community calendar contest, and she raised considerable funds to help animals in need,” she explained. Darlene knew that while she loved helping animals find permanent homes through her portraits, she didn’t have another way to help the animals financially. “So, thanks to encouragement from my friend, a few months later, I launched the Say Paws 2022 calendar contest, and we raised more than $12,000 for the MSPCA our first year,” said Darlene. While she admitted it was daunting to start something new, having no idea how it would pan out, the fact that she could combine her love of photographing animals was a win in her book.

“I believe every animal deserves a good life — to be happy, loved, and in a safe and comfortable home,” said Darlene. “Humans can help. We need to be the voices for the animals and give them a chance in this world.”

Among the challenges they helped with was the ever-present mountain of dirty dishes used by animals in the adoption center.

Several team members, including Illuminate president and founder Shaun McMahon, cleaned and sterilized various crates and cages to safely transport the shelter’s furry friends. Other members built new crates for animals — as there never seemed to be quite enough.

They cut up hot dogs, cheese, and other treats for training snacks and filled Kong® toys with peanut butter — a tasty treat that helps canine friends keep their minds busy.

They took on the arduous task of cleaning old dry-erase forms so they could be reused, helping staff increase efficiency and reduce waste.

And last but not least, the group helped fill and label dozens upon dozens of bags of cat and dog food for distribution in high-need areas of Boston. Someday, the MSPCA-Angell hopes to have enough donations to distribute full bags to all who are in need, but for now, breaking big bags into smaller containers helps us help as many different pets as possible.

“It truly was a pleasure and honor for us to help the MSPCA-Angell, a world-class nonprofit, that has helped so many pets, including many of Team Illuminate pets,” said McMahon. “We were amazed and humbled by the experience.”

The group ended their day visiting with Marge, a sweet young dog in the Boston adoption center looking for her new home.

Kerianne Durgin, MSPCA-Angell Volunteer Coordinator, shared, “The Illuminate corporate group was a wonderful set of volunteers! They were eager and excited to help in any way they could.”

The MSPCA-Angell could not be more grateful to this group for donating their time to make this work possible!