Two local non-profit organizations collaborated this week to give the beneficiaries of their programs the chance to give something back to the community.

On Tuesday, July 13, participants from Elder and Adult Day Services (EADS), an adult health care facility that serves seniors and adults with disabilities, got together with kids from Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) to make dog biscuits for Delta Society Pet Partners.

FEAT was there as part of its Experience Learning Project (E.L.P.), which serves kids with high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

“A secondary goal of our program is to teach the kids what it means to give back to the community,” said Rose Feddock, Program Director for E.L.P.

Cindy Sharek, Development Director for EADS said that community service projects improve mental health outlook and quality of life for participants.

“Being able to give back to the community is a big part of what makes us human and what makes us happy,” she said. “When you are disabled, you don’t have the same opportunities to do that.”

Both EADS and FEAT also said that the collaboration is a good chance for program participants to improve social skills.”

“It’s a change in scenery, it’s a new person coming in, its something they have not done before,” said B.J. Libby, Volunteer Coordinator for EADS. “It is really vital for them.”

Feddock said that the collaboration allows kids from FEAT to express empathy.

“It has been good for them to see other people who also have some skill deficits interact in the world and can do things,” she said. “We discuss how we are the same as the people we are working with and how we are different.”

Both organizations also said that they would love to collaborate in future with each other and other non-profits.

“For many people who come to our program, this is their community,” said Sharek. “We are always looking for opportunities to expand that community.”