MOUNT VERNON — Girl Scout Troop 979 of the tri-town area — Belmont, Searsmont and Morrill — annually chooses a nonprofit organization to collect donations for as a community service project and this year, the girls’ choice was to collect donations for DEW Haven in Mt Vernon. DEW Haven is a nonprofit organization that takes in and cares for native and exotic animals found in Maine.

In past years, the girls have chosen P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center and a local area food pantry.

As they have in the past, the girls used some of their hard-earned cookie money to purchase donations and many families also contributed and made monetary donations.

The girls really enjoyed visiting DEW Haven June 20 to present their donations. As they carried the items to the office facility, the owner, Bob, was coming by on his way to complete a project. He stopped and said, "Hey - I can really use that right now! Thanks!”

The girls were excited to hear the owner's comment, knowing that their donations would be used and appreciated by the staff.

The girls were able to participate in a very informational and fun tour of the facility and its animals. They also learned about the differences between exotic animals and native animals and what it takes to care for all of them. It was reported to be a “wonderful experience for the entire troop.”