Student Turns Passion For Art, Animals Into Fundraiser For Somerset Regional Shelter

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater-Raritan High School senior Taashvi Shah is merging a passion for animals and art by donating a portion of her pet portrait proceeds to help the Somerset Regional Animal Shelter.

"Growing up, I always loved making artwork and crafts, but did it on a more casual basis. In my case, boredom triggered a creative pursuit with art. During the pandemic, I had a lot of time to pass, so I picked up drawing and painting as a hobby," said Shah. "I enjoyed being able to create, the calming feeling from making art, and bringing ideas to life. Over time, through consistent practice, I developed my art skills to what they are now, and continue to learn and improve."

Shah, who also has a passion for animals, volunteers at the shelter where she saw firsthand the needs of rescued pets, from medical care to hygiene and basic comfort.

"Volunteering at the shelter opened my eyes to the shelter’s needs. Feeling compelled to help, I thought that leveraging my passion for art and the skill of making pet portraits would be an effective and meaningful way I could fundraise while also creating art for pet lovers," said Shah to Patch.

This prompted her to use her art to help by donating 75 percent of her pet portrait earnings to the shelter through FOSRAS (Friends of Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, a non-profit supporting the animal shelter).

"What I enjoy about pet portraits is capturing the personalities of each animal — goofy, lazy, playful, timid, curious, and more. It is also very satisfying to see the wonderful reactions of the pet owners when I deliver the completed portraits, some even get overwhelmed with emotion seeing their beloved pet captured in a realistic painting or sketch," said Shah.

Within a few months of partnering with the animal shelter, Shah has received more than 40 portrait orders and raised a couple of thousand dollars for the animal shelter. She is hoping to continue these efforts.

"One thing I’ve learned from this is that when you combine what you love with a meaningful purpose, the difference you make far exceeds your expectations," said Sha. "I would really like to build on this initial success and also make it sustainable as there is a steady demand from animal lovers interested in pet portraits."

Community members interested in getting involved can visit Taashvi’s website ‘Paws n Paint’ at sites.google.com/view/taashvis-pet-portraits or follow the animal shelter on Instagram at instagram.com/srasbridgewater.

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