Local West Michigan Business Owner Announces Contributions to Assist with Oil Spill Disaster

Jenison, May 6, 2010:  As the oil slick spreads in the Gulf of Mexico, communities worldwide have started showing support for one organization that is all ready to clean up the Gulf Coast with a free, low-tech solution: booms made of recycled hosiery and hair clippings.

Matter of Trust is an environmental non-profit organization that has helped clean up oil spills in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond since 1998 by reusing donated hair clippings from hair salons, barber shops, pet groomers and wool farmers. Stuffing this donated hair into donated nylon stockings, this organization creates highly absorbent booms to contain oil spills.

Local West Michigan businesses, The Paragon School of Pet Grooming, and Whiskers Resort and Pet Spa, both founded and owned by Melissa Verplank, will be assisting with disaster relief of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Working with Matter of Trust (matteroftrust.org), Paragon and Whiskers will be donating the hair trimmed from pets during the grooming process. 

“Paragon will be acting as a collection center for at least the next 30 days and possibly beyond,” Verplank stated. “We’re thrilled to find such a worthwhile use for what is typically a waste by-product in the pet grooming process.”  

Matter of Trust has already received donations from all 50 states and several other countries. Donations include hundreds of thousands of pounds of hair, and many washed nylon pantyhose stockings, which they'll accept even with small runs or tears.

If you would like to donate clean hair or stockings, please drop your donations off at the Paragon School of Pet Grooming, located in Jenison during business hours from 7:00 am-6:00 pm Monday – Friday, or at Whiskers Resort & Pet Spa on 29^th Street in Kentwood just south of Woodland Mall, Monday – Saturday from 7:00 am -8:00 pm. Individuals may also easily send in donations to Matter of Trust by going to their sign-up website link at www.excessaccess.com  and watch an informative video clip at www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHuWyFVo62o