SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Thanksgiving feast was held in Lackawanna County on Wednesday but there was no dinner table or even silverware to be found. This feast wasn't for humans; it was for cats and dogs at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.
Pamela Marcinkevich and Jake Brodowsky from Animals America, a nonprofit group dedicated to fighting abuse and neglect, dropped off over 150 Thanksgiving meals made just for the animals at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter near Clarks Summit.
"We're aware of the large amount of animals here, and we thought it'd be nice to give them a special treat for Thanksgiving," Marcinkevich said. "While everyone else is at home enjoying their Thanksgiving meal and the dog's getting all the scraps, these dogs are here without that, so we thought we'd provide a little taste of home to them."
The pair got to watch Coco, a rescue who's been here since February, devour his feast in less than a minute, licking the bowl clean -- a dog's way of saying "give my compliments to the chef."
The best part is this is a home-cooked meal. Pamela says cooking for animals proved to be harder than cooking for people.
"Because of all the ingredients you have to keep out of there for them, you know, they can't have everything we can have, but it was all worth it."
The shelter is home to a group of cats who were rescued this past August from a home in Old Forge, where they were living in filthy conditions. Pamela was happy to feed them a meal made with love.
"They're here, they're alone. If we can brighten their day even if it's only for one day, that's great."
This is the first time Animals America has brought Thanksgiving dinner to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, but it won't be the last. The group says it's the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.
"Give what you can to whom you can. Pay it forward. This is our way of giving back," she said.
Even though the animals couldn't tell us themselves, it was easy to see that they are grateful this Thanksgiving.