9 minute read
Event
Safely dispose unused prescription drugs for free at National Rx Take Back Event
Do you have any expired or unneeded prescription medications in your home? You can safely dispose of them free of charge, no questions asked, at the National Rx Take Back Event.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 24 at the St. Peters Justice Center. The Justice Center is located at 1020 Grand Teton Drive, at the corner of Suemandy Drive near Mid Rivers Mall. Police cannot accept any medications before or after the event, so make sure to drop off your prescription drugs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
All prescription medications will be accepted with no questions asked. To remain anonymous, remove identifying information from container labels before disposal. Tightly seal caps on liquid products, such as cough syrup.
The program is only for prescription drugs; no over-thecounter medications will be accepted. Intravenous solutions, injectables and needles, and illegal substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not part of this program.
This free event is open to the public and sponsored by the St. Peters Police Department and the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Agency. The St. Peters Police Department participates in this event because unused prescription medications are a risk to public health and safety, and are a potential source of illegal use. Safely disposing unused medications eliminates the possibility of the drugs falling into the wrong hands and causing harm.
Learn more at www.dea.gov. For more information on this event, contact Officer Melissa Doss at 636-278-2244, ext. 3550, or mdoss@stpetersmo. net.
On May 17, during a heavy rainstorm, ten inches of water breached the Kathryn Linnemann Branch Library in St. Charles. As a result, flooring, furniture, and shelving suffered extensive damage. When repairs began, crews uncovered structural damage to the walls, floors, and foundation that were unrelated to the flood. The library engaged an engineer to assess the situation and provide recommendations for keeping the branch structurally sound. Based on those findings, the building and grounds are now undergoing extensive renovations to make the area safe for visitors again. The library facilities team is working to coordinate construction and create a timeline for reopening. While the Kathryn Linnemann Branch is under repair, the library has created partnerships with area schools that will allow the community to continue using library materials and services.
Library Director Jason Kuhl explains, “Our school-library partnerships provide increased access to library materials in locations that are convenient to nearby neighborhoods and available during the hours that customers need them most.”
Duchesne High School Library-Computer Center
The library has adopted the Duchesne High School Library-Computer Center as a temporary curbside service option for Kathryn Linnemann customers. The center, located directly across the street from the Kathryn Linnemann Branch, will serve as a temporary library location for materials returns and curbside services. Customers can place items on hold online and pick them up without leaving their vehicles during these hours of operation: Monday through Thursday, 4 - 8 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 - 5 p.m.
Orchard Farm Branch
A new St. Charles City-County Library branch located inside of Orchard Farm Elementary School is now available for curbside services and materials returns. Customers can place holds online and pick them up during hours that students are not at school: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4 – 8 p.m. and Sundays, 1 – 5 p.m. The library has plans to offer a collection of materials for browsing and checkout, access to public computers, printing services, and classes for all ages at this new location in the future.
In addition to curbside services at these nearby locations, Kathryn Linnemann Branch customers can also utilize any other St. Charles City-County Library branch to browse a collection of books, music, and movies, as well as access public computers, and find in-person staff assistance.
Please visit myLibrary.org or the library’s social media outlets for updates as they become available.
www.bjcmedicalgroup.org
Pet foster families needed: COVID-19 increases demand for loving homes
COVID-19 has not only had an effect on human lives, but on our four-legged friends as well. At the St. Charles County Pet Adoption Center in St. Peters, making adjustments for the pandemic has resulted in some positive news.
“Because of COVID, we’re doing things differently,” explains Katie Willis, Director of the St. Charles County Department of Public Health’s Division of Humane Services. “We follow social distancing guidelines for the pets in our care, and that means we have less space in our kennels. Pet fostering is needed to accommodate that change, and we’ve found that expanding this program is creating better outcomes for pet adoptions.”
Willis said pet fostering allows staff to learn more about the needs and habits of animals up for adoption from their foster families. The foster parents can determine which pets are good with children, how they get along with other animals, if they are active or more reserved and more — all information that is beneficial to someone looking for a pet.
The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a growth in the facility’s already robust pet foster program, and St. Charles County seeks additional families interested in joining this valuable volunteer program. With an increased number of foster families, the Division of Humane Services can care for more animals than what otherwise would be limited by the capacity of the shelter.
“We have always had great volunteer support for our pet foster program,” Willis says, “but with families spending more time at home during COVID-19, there has been increased interest in helping animals. What’s great about fostering is that shy or scared dogs or cats, who typically may not thrive in the shelter environment, are able to spend quality time with their foster parents. In the quiet comfort of a family home, these animals can show off their special traits, learn social and behavioral clues and develop into the perfect pet for someone who may not have noticed them otherwise.”
The growth in the foster program has led to a few “failures” this year, and that thrills Humane Services staff. When a foster pet creates a special bond and the family chooses to adopt that dog or cat, it creates a scenario affectionately termed a Foster Fail. Foster families have been able spend more time interacting with their animals due to the pandemic, and more of them have chosen to welcome their foster pets into their forever homes. This has resulted in nearly 100 foster fails in St. Charles County this year.
In a typical year, the division places approximately 700 animals with foster parents, but already this year, nearly 1,000 dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and livestock have spent time in foster homes thanks to more volunteers. Whether the animal needs time to grow or a few weeks to recover, foster parents prepare animals for their future adoptive families and offer some one-on-one TLC. St. Charles County helps those families by providing food and care supplies, veterinary treatment, most medications, 24-hour support and other items.
For more information on St. Charles County’s Foster Pet Program, visit sccmo. org/PetFoster or call 636-949-7387.
2020 Foster Facts (as of 9/24/2020)
St. Charles County Foster Families – 52 Animals in Foster Care – 161 (143 cats, 16 dogs, two other) Animals at the Pet Adoption Center – 142 (105 cats, 30 dogs, seven other) Cost of care at the Pet Adoption Center – $100/week per pet (includes food, water, grooming, medical supplies, facility operations, staff time, etc.) Cost in foster care (paid by St. Charles County) – $20/week per pet (includes medical supplies and veterinary care, most additional supplies are donated by community organizations)
I nspiration C orner:
Is image everything?
“Sometimes the clothes do not make the man.” – George Michael
I watched the woman in the seat next to me scroll through images on her phone. Pants. Blouses. Purses. Her eyes were transfixed. The models in the images had perfectly coifed hair and lips that whispered, “Don’t you want me, baby?” And the truth is, we do. We want all of it. And we will gladly plunk down our hard-earned dollars to get it.
But what exactly is it that we want?
We had just finished a mile and a half hike, and I wanted to record our efforts for posterity. I lifted my camera phone and pointed it at my friend. She promptly put on a pair of sunglasses.
I said, “Hey, I can’t see your face.”
She said, “That’s the point. I’m not wearing any makeup.”
“C’mon.” I said. “Take them off. I want to remember this moment.” But she refused.
I was perplexed. Why was she concerned about her appearance? She has a flawless complexion. I couldn’t help but wonder why many of us feel inferior without cosmetics.
One of the perks of working at home during the pandemic has been my make-up free lifestyle. I love it! No poking myself in the eye with mascara or eyeliner. No oily foundation on my fingers. No make-up removal routine at the end of the day. In fact, so pleased have I been about this perk that I considered never wearing makeup again. That is, until a co-worker asked me on a recent video conference if I “had a black eye.”
I was stunned. Are the circles under my eyes really that prominent? Suddenly, I questioned my whole peaceful narrative over one innocuous comment. Then I said to myself, “So what if I did?”
When did our worth become so dependent on our presentability? Why does our hair or lack of hair dictate our desirability? How does our body mass index specify our personal reliability? Aren’t we all people who have innate value? Sometimes it feels like the entire media world is selling something by telling us we are “less than” or “need more of” something. It’s almost as if we have a “satisfaction index” that is foundering, and they want us to believe they can fix us.
But can they?
We are more depressed, more anxious and less financially stable than any previous generation in America. Suicide is one of the largest killers of people. “Pretty” doesn’t make us happy any more than money, status or power. Maybe its time to stop looking for satisfaction in the things people want us to buy and start building better relationships with people instead.
Mae West once famously said, “A man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than one who has great legs.”
And if that is the case, wouldn’t we be better suited to invest in people than in products? For more inspiration, follow me on my blog: www. destinationdiscipline.com.
Margaret Wolfinbarger is a wife and mother of three peculiar children. She lives in St. Charles and likes to shine light into dark places.
