BENNETTSVILLE — The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to cause problems as those responsible for cleanup efforts keep searching for ways to alleviate the situation.

One unusual effort is bringing groomers and stylists from across the country together through the Matter of Trust program.

The program asks stylists and groomers to collect hair and fur clippings and send them to the charity, which then uses the clippings to make booms to help collect oil from the ocean.

Bennettsville dog groomer Meghan Kaminski owns the Wizard of Paws shop where she grooms and boards animals.

Kaminski said she heard about the program to help with the oil spill through a friend she met on Facebook.

“One of my friends said, ‘Hey, I’m going to join the Matter of Trust, here’s their website, go online, sign up and you can send all of the hair that you normally send to the trash, you can send it in and help clean up the oil spill and do a good deed,’” Kaminski said.

Since she found out about the program, Kaminski has been collecting fur from dogs she has groomed, packaging it and sending it to the Matter of Trust program.

Kaminski said she never imagined she would be able to help clean up the oil spill, but she’s happy to be able to be a part of such a unique opportunity.

The Matter of Trust program fills donated pantyhose with hair and fur clippings, which are then made into booms which collect oil in the ocean.

“They stuff the pantyhose with the fur and the hair, and then they put it on boats,” Kaminski said. “If you watch online, it shows the booms in water with oil and it just soaks it right up, like a sponge … it’s amazing.”

According to the Matter of Trust’s website, the program is receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds of nylons and hair from across the country and across the world. These materials are being used to set up booms all across the Gulf Coast.

Kaminski said she felt honored to be able to help in a disaster that’s affecting water and animals hundreds of miles from her home.

“We’re the consumers, it’s our demand that they’re supplying, you know, to fuel our SUVs and our cars and everything,” she said, “so if we can help out in any small way I think it’s our responsibility to do so.”

Kaminski said her grooming shop in Bennettsville gladly s donations of hair or fur to be sent off to the Matter of Trust program for those who don’t want to pay shipping costs.

For more information on the program, visit www.matteroftrust.org.

Full story here.