One organization is giving stray and abandoned dogs and cats a second chance.

The Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets organization held an adoption drive at PetSmart, 2512 Sycamore Road, on Saturday.

HELP comes to the store every month to show animals that are up for adoption and tries to get volunteers and money to help raise the dogs and cats.

Kallie Mashare, volunteer for HELP and employee of the NIU Computer Science Department, said HELP makes no money from raising the stray animals. She said the organization is not an animal shelter, and it does not actually house any of the animals.

“The dogs are in foster homes, so when they are adopted, they have a better chance,” Mashare said.

HELP foster families have the dogs and cats in their homes to make their transition to a new environment easier on both the animal and the person who is adopting them.

Mashare said the animals come from a shelter in southern Illinois, who would normally euthanize animals that were in the shelter too long. HELP rescues the animals and gives them another chance to be adopted. Animals from New Orleans are also rescued due to the overpopulation of strays.

Bill Mashare, HELP volunteer and senior operations and information management major, said there is always an interview required when adopting a pet.

“We want to give them the best fit possible,” Bill said. “There is an application to see if the person is suitable. The foster families are sent the application and then a meeting is set up [with the applicant].”

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