HOLLIDAYSBURG, BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Mending Hearts Animal Rescue asked for the community’s help in getting a new washer and dryer back in January. They didn’t expect to get an answer from a Hollywood icon. 

Mending Hearts had a washer and dryer that were beyond repair. Needing to wash hundreds of towels and blankets a day for their animals, their washer could only handle three at a time.  

Just eleven days after posting their Facebook Live Video asking for help, William Shatner tweeted that he was looking to contact Mending Hearts Volunteer and WALY 103.9 Radio Host KC O’Day. After a few direct messages, Shatner requested the help of his 2.5 million Twitter followers through his program “Ubuntu Discovery.”

Ubuntu is a Swahili word from South Africa meaning “humanity.” Shatner explained, “It’s charitable people helping other people, Ubuntu, we’ve been doing this on this small scale all around the world.”

After receiving donations from some of Shatner’s fans, Shatner let Mending Hearts know that LG had stepped in to donate a top of the line washer and dryer. 

“It was just like prayers being answered,” LuAnne Hilling, Founder of Mending Hearts said, “You know, it’s just amazing that people are that generous and are willing to donate out of the goodness of their heart. For a little ol’ rescue in Pennsylvania.”

On why he reaches out to help people in places like Central Pennsylvania, Shatner explained, “Those people aren’t my direct neighbors, but they are neighbors in humanity and neighbors on the social media.”

For the full story, check out the video above.