Thoughtful gift

PARKERSBURG - What started out as a Christmas present for a sibling has become a fundraiser for the Humane Society of Parkersburg.

"I decided to make a cookbook for my sister for Christmas and it somehow became a lot more," said Carrie Roe, president of the Humane Society of Parkersburg board of directors.

"My Favorite Recipes and Rescues: From a part-time cook and full-time animal lover" grew out of a desire to organize her favorite recipes and give her sister a thoughtful holiday gift.

Article Photos

Photo by Jolene Craig
Carrie Roe, president of the Humane Society of Parkersburg board of directors, poses with her dog Bruce, who she made the cover model of her new book “My Favorite Recipes and Rescues: From a part-time cook and full-time animal lover.” The book is available for sale with all proceeds going to the Humane Society of Parkersburg.

"I started putting the recipes together in Word and I noticed I had a lot of blank spaces and decided to fill those in with pictures of my animals and then I started adding photos of animals I've fostered," Roe said. "Because my sister doesn't know who the foster animals are, I decided to write a little something about each of them for her."

Roe, who has six dogs and eight cats, has been a part of animal rescue work for a decade and said she originally made three copies of the book to give to her sister, mother and stepmother for Christmas.

"I ended up having more copies made and gave one to my best friend Karen who adopted one of my former fosters," Roe said. "It was Karen who not only loved the book, but encouraged me to sell it as a fundraiser for the shelter."

The more than 60 recipes included in the spiral-bound book are originals that Roe has created as well as recipes from friends and ones she came across on the Internet.

"I love to cook and these are my favorite recipes to make and share with my friends and family," Roe said. "This book truly is my favorite recipes and my favorite rescue stories."

Roe said while many of the stories have some sad points, they are all uplifting.

"Every one of these is a happy ending, there is just some sorrow getting there," she said.

While the main drive behind selling the book is to raise funds for the shelter that cares for thousands of abused, neglected and homeless pets each year, Roe said she has another motive.

"I hope that a few potential foster parents read the stories and are encouraged to become a foster family for animals that need extra help and love while waiting for their forever home," Roe said.

Many of the area's potential foster families don't open themselves up to the experience because they think it is difficult to love an animal and give it up to another family.

"It is difficult because you really do become attached but when one of my fosters gets adopted, it's almost better than adopting them myself," Roe said. "It is so exciting for the people and for the animals and I feel good knowing that they are going to the people they are meant to be with."

She added that letting a foster animal go to an adoptive home allows her space to take in another foster animal that needs help.

"There is always going to be one more that needs a little extra or special help in a foster home that they wouldn't be adopted by the right family without the foster time," Roe said. "Taking care of shelter animals is my life and I love them for it."

"My Favorite Recipes and Rescues: From a part-time cook and full-time animal lover" is available for $20 at the Humane Society of Parkersburg shelter on Poplar Street, Mulberry Lane, Neff's Country Loft in Belpre and State Electric with all proceeds going to the humane society.

Roe said her first order of 200 books became available on Jan. 26 and by Saturday morning 110 were sold.

"I would love to have to reorder," she said.