There are many places to have a cup of coffee in Easton.
But how many of them have six cats up for adoption waiting to greet guests? That’s just one of the features of Project Paw, a community outreach center with a thrift store and coffee shop. The Animal Health and Welfare Center sets up Project Paw at 452 Northampton St.
“We wanted a place where people could walk or take a bus, where local people could come and where we could provide resources,” said Kelly Bauer, executive director of the Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Williams Township.
The idea came about after the success of a pop-up store in the former Wells Fargo Bank in Easton. The Center for Animal Health and Welfare sold consignment items in the pop-up store from January to May.
“When we saw the success of the pop-up store, we saw that people were enjoying shopping at consignments and thrift stores and thought this was a great way to fund the resource center,” said Bauer.
The items in the shipment are likely to include clothing, knick-knacks, and small furniture.
Project Paw will offer programs such as spay and neuter clinics, animal CPR, and compassionate fatigue lectures for animal-related professionals. Project Paw is the mission of the shelter: working to adopt animals and use them for them.
Project Paw will also feature Betty’s Corner, named after a former cat lover and benefactor of the center. Betty’s Corner is a café with coffee, tea and individually wrapped snacks. Six cats are given up for adoption. Customers cannot bring pets, but for a donation they can sip a hot drink and make themselves comfortable with the cats, whether they take a cat home or not.
“For people who can’t adopt a cat or who just have a bad day, how much worse could it get if you have a cat on your lap?” Asked Bauer.
The center is always looking for new ways to reach the community and raise funds. It has 230 animals in its care and faces a constant need for food, money and volunteers. You can donate on the nonprofit website.
Project Paw is currently under construction. Bauer hopes to open Project Paw this September.
Project Paw at 452 Northampton Street in Easton will have a coffee shop where customers can hang out with six adopted cats.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com
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Rudy Miller can be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com.
