Minnesauke Elementary School music teacher Susan Aupperlee has been inspiring her students in grades 2-6 since the spring of 2008 to help create warmer and more welcoming living environments for those furry friends in need of a permanent home. Over the years, the school has collected thousands of dollars and countless amounts of dog and cat food and supplies for the Little Shelter Animal Adoption Center in Huntington. Most recently, the students focused their collection efforts toward helping those animals displaced by Hurricane Sandy and alleviating the major damage suffered at Little Shelter as a result of the superstorm. This year alone, the school has collected more than $520.

To gather the monetary donations for the organization, Ms. Aupperlee puts loose change in a collection jar on her classroom piano every time the students exhibit positive behavior traits in her classroom. The students have also been donating their spare change, along with a variety of supplies, toward the effort.