When Madeline Ford of Cary celebrated her fifth birthday a week ago, she asked her birthday party guests to pick up something from a pet supply store, not a toy store. Her friends and their parents reached into their wallets and donated food, gift cards, treats and toys to Chatham Animal Rescue and Education’s cats and dogs. Several partygoers made cash donations online as well.

Her parents, Jordan and Christine Ford, said, “We are extremely proud of her. She just wanted to help the animals and learned a valuable life lesson about giving in the process.”

C.A.R.E. foster dogs and cats will be wagging their tails and purring with excitement on Sunday, Feb. 8, when the Fords deliver the bags of food and toys to C.A.R.E. at a combined adoption event and donation drive. C.A.R.E.’s adoptable dogs will be at the Apex Petsmart between 1 and 4 p.m.

The Apex Petsmart is located at the 1031 Beaver Creek Commons Drive. Adoptable C.A.R.E. cats will be on location in the Luv-A-Pet Adoption Center in the store from Feb. 2-15.