A Blessing of the Animals will take place on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. on the lawn at Zion Lutheran Church, 5 W. Main St., Hershey (Union Deposit). The event will continue the tradition of pet blessings in honor of St. Francis, whose love of animals and ecology is remembered in early October.

Pets should be on a leash or otherwise controlled for the service. Participants are invited to bring donations for the Humane Society of Harrisburg, which accepts clean used towels and blankets, as well as paper towels and gift certificates to pet, grocery or hardware stores. More wish list details can be found at https://humanesocietyhbg.org/get-involved/wish-list/.