(l-r) Pinellas County (Fla.) Board Chair Sallie Parks; her feline friend; Mrs. Santa Paws; and Kayla Cumings, Park’s granddaughter, enjoy a day of holiday festivities at the Animal Services Family Reunion & Community Celebration.

If you take a peek at what counties across the nation do during the holiday season, you’ll find programs supporting waste-free holidays, celebrations in honor of pets, or even fire rescue dispatchers knitting afghans for children.

King County, Wash.
King County, Wash. has collaborated with their Web site advertisers to offer a “Waste Free Holidays” experience. Now in its fifth year, the program encourages families to partake in fun activities — from adopting an animal at the local zoo, to obtaining memberships to a science center — all in an effort to lighten the impact of holiday trash on the environment. King County’s business partners in the program offer 50 percent off tickets, certificates and memberships to, “a wide array of experiences.” The idea is “give experiences instead of stuff.” The campaign, which began on Nov. 24, will run through the end of December. You can visit the Web site at www.metrokc.gov.

Pinellas County, Fla.
With an endearing dedication to the fluffy, four-legged population of their county, Pinellas County, Fla. annually hosts, the Animal Services Family Reunion & Community Celebration. The event, which is free to the entire community, features pet photos with Mrs. Santa “Paws,” $1 rabies shots with the purchase of a license, prizes, food, music, clowns, face painting, dog obedience demonstrations, a petting zoo and more.
Pinellas County Animal services has been recognized twice as being the Outstanding Agency of the Year by the National Animal Control Association.

Tangla Tucker, a dispatcher with Broward County, Fla. Fire and Rescue Department, gets another afghan on its way. Dispatcher volunteers have knitted at least 30 afghans this season, which they donate to children’s agencies.

Broward County, Fla.
Not only do Broward County Fire Rescue dispatchers answer the calls of citizens who seek their assistance during fire emergencies — but they are coming to the aid of children in need, as well.
Broward County Fire Rescue Regional Communications Center emergency dispatchers have been busy crocheting afghans and other knitwear for children’s charities. Despite handling more than 100,000 calls annually, these dispatchers have taken time out to donate their wares to Kids in Distress, a non-profit charitable organization and Children Caring Cancer Center.

Hennepin County, Minn.
Hennepin County (Minn.) Adult Services Volunteer Program and KLBB Radio provides holiday gifts to seniors who are isolated or impoverished. Numerous gift donations are distributed to several public and private nonprofit social service agencies throughout the Hennepin County community as well as to divisions within the Hennepin County Adult Services Department.
Each registered agency is assigned one or more drop-off sites from which donated gifts are picked up and then delivered to seniors.