The Gift of Giving: Birthday Boy Collects Pet Supplies

After Hurricane Harvey, 12-year-old Asher Golub and his mom, Jeryl, wanted to find a way to give back the community during the time of need. But, as Jeryl noted, “it’s hard to find a volunteer project that kids can get involved with.”

The Golub family opened their home and allowed those in need to stay in their home for days post-Harvey, but for Asher, that wasn’t enough. After a long day of helping to rip out sheetrock and carpet from someone’s home that had flooded, Asher noticed an influx of stray animals roaming the streets of Houston. He spotted stray cats, dogs and even a parrot. While watching the news about stray animals left without a home after Harvey, Asher, who loves animals, was saddened to hear that so many animals had been displaced. “But Mom, what are people doing to help them?” he asked Jeryl.

Asher then created a plan to help those furry friends.

Asher would turn 13 on July 7, but because he has a summer birthday, it means that he rarely has a birthday party because most of his friends are out of town during that time. This year, Asher asked if he could have a birthday party and his mom agreed. However, with this year also being the year of his Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish ceremony marking the coming of age for a 13-year-old boy, Jeryl told Asher that he couldn’t ask for birthday presents, knowing that he would be receiving gifts for his Bar Mitzvah; she felt it wasn’t right to ask people to give Asher two presents around the same time.

With that in mind, Asher had the idea of asking guests to his birthday party to bring supplies that could be given to Houston Pets Alive, a local no-kill animal shelter. Jeryl said, “I was proud because we talk at length about the importance of giving back and we hope that it resonates with him instead of being a suggestion. It meant something to him which was important, and it shows me that you can encourage kids to do charitable things and see them embrace it.”

Part of the birthday invitation read: “In lieu of gifts, it is Asher's request, let’s collect for homeless pets: canned food or treats will be best!” The response to this request was overwhelming and amazed the Golub family.  

Forty-five Emery/Weiner sixth graders headed to Asher’s house for a pool party and movie screening. Instead of bringing just a can or two of dog or cat food, each brought bags of animal food. In all, Asher collected enough food to help an estimated 100 animals.

Asher said that his love of animals and his own pets – two dogs and a goldfish -  influenced his decision to collect donations for animals in shelters. “Having my dogs has shown me the connection between you and your dog or cat. It’s a great feeling when you have an animal that will always be there for you,” he said.

Filling up his mom’s entire car, Asher and his mom headed to Houston Pets Alive located at 8620 Stella Link Rd. to donate everything that Asher had collected. The response upon arrival shocked Jeryl.

Asher and Jeryl were immediately welcomed by a man helping at Houston Pets Alive who Jeryl noted was “kind and overwhelmed with what Asher had done.” She explained, “this was a bigger deal than I thought. It reinforced the idea that you start off doing something you like, but it’s nice to be appreciated for it.”

Asher noted that donating everything that he had collected “was a special feeling. I walked in and saw the smiles on the people’s faces. It felt very good.”

Asher also felt good seeing that three dogs were adopted while he was at Houston Pets Alive. “It’s nice to know that people care and are coming to adopt the animals,” he said.

Jeryl said she is most proud of Asher’s willingness to help others. “I’m proud of his individual drive. He’s embraced that he wants to help others and do it himself without having other people help him.” She added that “being a kid who didn’t have birthday parties every year, he wanted a birthday party but he wanted to use this opportunity to do good stuff and help others.”

Asher is “most proud of the people I asked; it was a lot to ask for and a lot of people really pulled through and appreciated what I was doing. People were on board with me and knew that there were animals that were in need of a companion along with food, shelter, and blankets,” he said. Asher also thanks his family and the entire Emery/Weiner School sixth-grade class that came together to help support him and donate supplies to pets in need.

Once Asher returns from summer camp, he plans to sit down with his parents and determine more opportunities for donation collections. Jeryl said that Asher wants to host a food drive to collect more pet food, a blanket and sheet drive for cats, and a blanket-making party for the animals. Asher also plans on researching other local, no-kill shelters that he can donate to, including the Houston SPCA.

If you are interested in helping to donate to the wonderful work that Asher is doing, Jeryl recommends reaching out to Houston Pets Alive or other animal shelters and seeing what donations they need along with any volunteer opportunities that may be offered. See more ideas of local nonprofits where kids are welcome to volunteer here.