Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation will have a supply drive on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 3 p.m. at Jack's Family Tavern, 15 S. Prince St., Millersville. The event will include an educational presentation at 1 p.m., and Acorn Acres' ambassadors Snags the squirrel and Poppy the groundhog will be in attendance. Making his debut at the supply drive will be the organization's new ambassador: a groundhog named Elliot.

Acorn Acres was founded in January 2021 by executive director Betsy Shenks, who first had the idea over a decade ago. On April 16, 2010, while mowing the grass on her lawn, Shenks saw what she thought was a dead baby squirrel, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was still alive. She quickly cleaned the squirrel and rushed to her computer to search the internet for advice on how to help the animal. At that moment, she knew her vocation was to help wild animals in one way or another. Nearly a year later, Shenks lost her job in the corporate world and started her own business sewing bedding and other items for small animals in cages. Her primary clients were wildlife rehabilitators, and her business acquainted her with rehabilitators from across the country.

In 2020, Shenks began making masks for veterinarians who had donated their masks to hospitals being overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A surge of people began buying masks from her, and with the funds raised from selling them, Shenks decided it was time to realize her dream and opened Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation. "I never wanted to profit off of the (COVID-19) disaster," said Shenks. "I decided I was going to give it back to the community in a long-term, meaningful way."

Based in Millersville, Acorn Acres specializes in rehabilitating squirrels, rabbits and groundhogs, which are the most common guests of wildlife rehabs in the country. "Half of my job is rehabilitation, and the other half is education," said Shenks. "These animals are the ones who aerate and fertilize our soil, and squirrels are a huge factor in reforestation. People dislike them and view them as pests, but they're a huge part of our ecosystem." Acorn Acres also provides education on how to discern which animals need assistance and which ones are better left alone.

Shenks hopes to grow her community outreach programs through Acorn Acres and is currently working with several school districts to develop educational programs for different grades. "The community response has been incredible. We're looking to grow our volunteer base and will be looking for a larger facility in the future to accommodate the demand," said Shenks.

Jack's Family Tavern will be accepting donations in advance for those who are unable to attend the event. For more information, visit http://www.acornacreswr.com/fill-the-trailer.