
SOUTHEAST N.C. — We all know that Thanksgiving means inevitable leftovers from a feast — which may, or may not get eaten. That’s why SkyWatch Bird Rescue is asking for anyone thinking about dumping their scraps to reconsider.
Rescuing animals comes with a price tag, not only trying to get them healthy again but providing them with nutrition and food as well.
SkyWatch recently put out a call on Facebook asking those in the region to consider saving their scraps and helping provide rescue birds with their own holiday feast.
“Wilmington NC Locals! We’d like to remind you after Thanksgiving please don’t throw any leftover food away. After you enjoy leftovers the next day, consider donating the leftover-leftovers to the bird rescue. We have many omnivore types like Gulls, Jays, Opossums and Crows that would be more than happy to finish up your leftover scraps. This is a good way of keeping food out of the landfill and repurposing it to help animals. After Thanksgiving, we give them a day of special treats. Cooked or raw as fine. Simply toss all the food in a plastic bag and freeze until it’s convenient for u to drop it off,” the post reads.
SkyWatch was founded by Amelia Mason who started the rescue out in Castle Hayne and has been known to be home to nearly 200 birds.
But it’s not just around the holidays the bird sanctuary can take donations.
“We can take any unwanted food all year round. for instance, after Hurricane Florence, people donated what was in their freezer, if they had lost electricity, and didn’t feel safe eating what had thawed in the freezer. We can take any kind of meat or fish, Frozen or fresh, produce, grains, bread, etc. There’s pretty much no food that animals here at the rescue would not enjoy. And any foods that we do not need, we compost so people’s food is also not ending up in the landfill,” a representative for the group said via Facebook.
Anyone wanting to help the animals can drop items off at the rescue seven days a week to the cooler on the front porch.
“First built in 1927, their [SkyWatch’s] brick, American Craftsman style home sits on 10 acres of working farmland in the rural agricultural district of New Hanover County. Now home to a couple of dogs, a few cats and horses, a goat and nearly 200 rescued birds, the property serves as headquarters for SkyWatch Bird Rescue, a non-profit organization founded by Mason,” according to previous Port City Daily Reporting.
(You can read all about SkyWatch below)