By William Scott

Correspondent

Applebee’s general managers and area directors from restaurants across the region have come to the Suffolk Humane Society office to volunteer their work.

From 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, eight volunteers worked throughout prevalent rainy weather. The staff worked on general landscaping around the building, planting flowers, removing weeds, trimming bushes, cutting trees, laying out mulch and placing stone lining along the flowerbeds.

The effort is part of a quarterly community service program for Applebee’s managers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Those who have come to the Suffolk Humane Society hail from locations across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

The work would have cost as much as $3,000 for labor alone, according to Denis Confer, a member of the board of directors at Suffolk Humane Society.

Both the mulch and the stones were donated to the facility prior to Tuesday’s work. Suffolk City Councilman Roger Fawcett and his son Jason Fawcett donated the mulch through their company, Elizabeth River Landscape Management.

The facility was chosen by Rebecca Garber, area training coach at Potomac Family Dining Group. Garber, a resident of Suffolk, had contacted Kay Hurley, director of community outreach at Suffolk Humane Society, to volunteer the services of Applebee’s management.

Garber’s love of animals, in addition to the fact that there are two Applebee’s located in Suffolk, were what made her and other staff members choose Suffolk Humane Society, according to Hurley.

Suffolk Humane Society is always in need of volunteers and donations, according to Hurley. The facility is able to perform its duties thanks to volunteers and donations.

The organization reaches out to educate the community on pet care and safety. A spay and neuter vehicle travels around the city three to four times each month offering services for a low cost. The facility also works with Suffolk Animal Care to take care of cats that are obtained by animal control. These cats are distributed for adoption to local PetSmart locations, Hurley said.

Suffolk Humane Society is able to fuction thanks to fundraising events such as the Mutt Strut and Passion for Paws, the latter of which will occur on Sept. 8, according to Hurley.

“What we’re looking for in the next couple of weeks is we’d like to get donations to fund siding for our storage building.” Confer said.

For more information on the Suffolk Humane Society or to donate call 538-3030 or email info@suffolkhumanesociety.com.