SeaMonkey Apparel has launched the third year of its Fill The Van campaign, a month-long drive collecting food and supplies for three local animal welfare organizations: the Humane Society of Manatee County, the Humane Society of Sarasota County, and Friends of Manatee County Animal Welfare. What started in 2024 with roughly 900 pounds of donations has grown fast. Last year’s drive brought in more than 3,200 pounds of goods along with thousands of dollars in financial support.
This year, there are 15 donation stations across Sarasota and Manatee counties, more than double last year’s number of drop-off locations. Organizers are asking for durable toys, treats, towels, blankets, cleaning products, and unopened dog and cat food. Two less obvious but heavily used items made the list too: peanut butter and Dawn dish soap, both of which shelters go through constantly.
In addition to supply donations, SeaMonkey released a new apparel collection featuring real rescue animals from these local shelters, with a portion of every sale donated back to the campaign. The drive runs through the end of October, so there’s still time to clean out that closet or add an extra bag of food to your grocery run. Which shelter do you plan to support this year?
