T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Junk Relief Owner Jake Rowley, center, flanked by Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer, Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown staff, ARL Board Member Cindy Brodin and representatives of the businesses he partnered with for the “Pickup for Paws” fundraiser, poses for a photo after donating nearly 7,850 pounds of cat and dog food to the ARL on Tuesday morning.

When someone needs help — whether it’s in his home community of Marshalltown or halfway across the country — Jake Rowley never hesitates to answer the call.

The local businessman, who owns and operates Junk Relief, was returning from a vacation at Lake Okoboji after the Fourth of July weekend when Jim Sams, a member of the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown’s board of directors, called him and said they were running desperately low on pet food. Sams wondered if he could haul some up from Des Moines, but, as he often does, Rowley decided to go above and beyond and turn it into a fundraising opportunity.

“Naturally, with us being contractors and me having a junk removal service, I thought ‘What can we do that is our normal daily labor so that we can raise these funds by doing what we do best to be able to raise money to get as much food as, hopefully, they would need for a while to try to get them ahead?'” he asked.

From there, he reached out to several of his friends in the local business community — Exterior + Home Remodeling, CJ Construction, Speedy Auto, The Mopsters and State Farm Agent Jeff Linton — and came up with a plan. Residents could sign up in advance to have anything they wanted off of their properties hauled away for a fee of $75, and all proceeds would directly benefit the ARL. They named it “Pickup for Paws.”

In all, there were 34 addresses when Rowley and his team went out for pickup on Sept. 16, and they filled eight dumpsters and four dump trailers.

“There was a lot on some people’s curbs,” he said.

Junk Relief raised $2,550, and Exterior + matched, meaning $5,100 went toward purchasing cat and dog food — which, it turned out, covered nearly 7,850 pounds bought from the local Menard’s and Theisen’s stores. Rowley was quick to shout out Theisen’s for providing a 20 percent discount.

Mayor Joel Greer swung out to the ARL on Tuesday morning for the presentation and said the effort was a win-win as it helped a beloved local nonprofit and also encouraged further cleanup and beautification efforts within Marshalltown.

“We know we need help on the cleanup both with junk vehicles and disposable things that need to be picked up, but Jake has demonstrated a real commitment to Marshalltown when it needs help and to other communities when they need help,” Greer said. “So whenever Jake calls, I answer, and I appreciate what he put together here.”

The ARL is currently housing 76 dogs and 150 cats, and Interim Director Deirdre Gruendler said they are on a waitlist for owners to surrender as a result.

“Marshalltown (and) Marshall County are just tremendously generous, and this is one example of how the community comes together to support the organizations that are essential to its health,” Gruendler said. “And if we weren’t here taking these animals in, imagine what it would look like on the streets. It would just be so much chaos, so it’s really an essential service. And I’ve been so impressed by the commitment of the staff and everybody who’s working to make this happen.”

For Rowley, it always boils down to doing the right thing first and worrying about the money later — whether he’s helping out after natural disasters in faraway places like Kentucky and Louisiana or right in his own backyard. And it’s never a one-man show.

“I have a team of people that are standing behind us right now that care about this community, and I’m the dumb one that asks them to do stuff for free. That’s the way I look at it,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve really always looked at a way, I guess, every day, to use the things that I’ve been blessed with — the connections, the people that I know and the friends around me — to be able to do as much good as we can. And I guess I’m always just kind of a hyper-focused guy. I don’t really sit down and relax too well, so for me it’s always just having something to do. And then also, it’s always good for my business and I hope it’s good for my people around me, businesses around me.”

ARL Board Member Cindy Brodin described Rowley’s altruism in a more succinct manner.

“We call Jake, and Jake will run. Seriously, he has a heart of gold for this town, and he does run. He does work hard for it,” she said.

While the donation of nearly four tons of food is much appreciated and welcomed, it’s only projected to last the ARL about a month. To donate cash, food or other needed supplies or to inquire about adopting an animal, visit the office in person at 1921 Taylor Ave. (just northeast of Marshalltown off of Garwin Road), call (641) 753-9046 or visit https://www.facebook.com/ARLMarshalltown/.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.