PETA’s 3rd Annual Greg Award to Houses of Wood & Straw

Today I was honored to present PETA’s third annual Gregory J. Reiter Animal Rescue Award to Stacey Norris, who founded and runs Houses of Wood & Straw (HOWS).

Greg and I were longtime supporters of PETA’s Angels for Animals program, through which fieldworkers go into poor communities in lower Virginia and upper North Carolina to deliver food, custom-built doghouses, and straw bedding to neglected dogs. Many people volunteer with PETA’s fieldworkers, but Stacey Norris and HOWS have gone a step further.  Starting with PETA doghouse blueprints in 2008, the HOWS Project has built and delivered some 1,000 houses to dogs who live outside 24/7 in Central Virginia. Stacey and the HOWS team then return regularly to replenish the dogs’ straw bedding; to provide water buckets, food bowls, and other necessities; and to give sorely neglected dogs the only affection they’ll ever know.

The third annual Greg Award was presented at a special benefit brunch to celebrate Ingrid Newkirk’s birthday and to support PETA‘s inspiring work to stop animal tests, hosted by Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming at his Club Cumming in New York City’s East Village. Others in attendance included award-winning actor and animal activist James Cromwell.

Previous recipients of the Greg Award were Katie McCotter in 2016, and the Virginia Beach SPCA in 2017.

Greg would be so proud of how we are celebrating his 55th birthday week!

~Alysoun