When Amber Weller asked members of the El Centro FFA Chapter to donate old jeans for a community service project, donation bins in the ag classrooms filled up fast.
In just two weeks, 18-year-old Weller collected more than 200 pairs of jeans — ranging from stonewashed to dark denim and skinny jeans to flares — to make recycled toys for the dogs at the Humane Society of Imperial County. Pants for Pets was Weller’s senior community service/citizenship project at Southwest High School in El Centro, Calif.
“We knew a lot of people had jeans that didn’t fit and we thought, ‘Why don’t we use them for a good cause and let dogs destroy our jeans for fun?’” Weller says. “It was really exciting to see how much we can benefit the humane society.”
Weller watched YouTube videos to come up with a prototype and created step-by-step instructions for the 350 El Centro FFA members to follow. After removing loose threads, zippers and pockets and cutting the denim into strips, the pieces were braided to create tough tug-of-war toys for shelter dogs.
Bringing People Together
In May 2023, the chapter filled a bin with 479 dog toys made from repurposed denim, and a group of El Centro FFA members surprised the shelter with the donation. Michelle Flores, a 16-year-old chapter member, volunteered at local animal shelters and was excited to get involved in Pants for Pets.
“Our chapter’s FFA project wasn’t just involving members who dedicated their time to recycling the denim into toys,” Flores says. “It was also bringing together the families of those members who donated their old clothing and the volunteers of the local shelter who were open to receiving our chapter’s support.”
Advisor Shanna Abatti-Fitzurka thought it was an ideal project for the chapter to undertake.
“All three advisors were able to generate excitement in their classes so it could make it a great chapter project,” Abatti-Fitzurka says. “It didn’t cost anybody anything, so everyone had the ability to participate. The more kids we can get involved in service is super important in helping them become more civic-minded.”
Weller, who is now a freshman agriculture major at California State University, Chico (Chico State), is proud of the Pants for Pets project and hopes her chapter will continue supporting local animal shelters and pets in need.
“We weren’t collecting new material to donate, so it was sustainable toward the environment, and it also helped animals,” she says. “I think it was a great project overall.”
