Like lots of people, Ethan Gold and Eliza Meersman, both juniors at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, love dogs. But the pair has gone far beyond cuddling and having fun with their own four-legged fetching buddies, Nate and Charlie (respectively). In the past year, Meersman hosted several events — bingo, library, crafts, and more — to raise $5,000 for Lucky Pups Dog Rescue, a two-year-old no-kill rescue in Abington.

Now, Gold and Meersman will stage another fundraiser, “Dine to Donate,” a “dog-and-family-friendly event” on Sunday, Sept. 21, at Chestnut Hill Brewery. Ten percent of all purchases will go to PawPath Consulting, a newly formed, high school-run consulting company that will provide no-cost consulting services to local nonprofits that focus on animal rescue.

In their words, PawPath Consulting “will empower pet rescue organizations by creating tailored solution plans and offering free services to help them overcome operational challenges, increase their impact and save more animals.” Gold told the Local the funds raised at this event will, “cover our initial startup expenses, such as website hosting and essential materials.”

“We go to the rescues and ask what we can do to help them,” Meersman added. “We find volunteers, help create websites, and make them better with fundraising, social media, and organization. We are both junior class officers, but we prioritize PawPath Consulting because we want to save dogs’ lives.”

Shelter Animals Count, a national nonprofit that collects and analyzes data on animal sheltering across the U.S., found more than 359,000 dogs were euthanized last year. Other sources, such as the ASPCA, report approximately 1.2 million euthanized animals in the past year, which includes both dogs and cats.

Kerry Beltz, the co-founder (with Joanne D’Agostino) of Lucky Pups Dog Rescue, told the Local, “I met Eliza’s mom when she volunteered for us, and Eliza said she wanted to help animals. Then she and her past partner raised $5,000 for us with bingo and crafting events. We weren’t even aware of all they did. They are delightful and real go-getters. Despite their age, they didn’t even need our help. They are so well organized; they planned all the projects themselves.”

Beltz and D’Agostino started their own rescue efforts as volunteers for another dog rescue organization. “We spoiled the dogs,” Beltz said, “so we started [Lucky Pups]. We now have over 40 volunteers. Every dog gets walked at least three times every day, and they get play time and socialization. We have had over 200 dogs adopted so far. The dogs come from shelters in the South where they were running out of time. They don’t have no-kill shelters in the South, so these dogs would have been euthanized.”

Gold and Meersman honed their organizational skills as members of DECA Inc., a business-focused club at their school. Last year, they each created independent projects for the club — Gold revamped the school store and Meersman organized the Lucky Pups fundraiser — and both came in first in competition with other teenagers at the state level, later advancing to the international competition. They then decided to work together this spring.

“Adults helped us also with publicity and public relations for events, so we did not do it all ourselves,” Gold said. “Our parents were not involved, but my parents feel proud of me. They value my commitment to do this. My dad is a consultant, so he supports my work.”

“My parents are also very proud of me,” Meersman added, “and surprised that I was able to pull this off.”

Dine to Donate, Sunday, Sept. 21, at Chestnut Hill Brewery, 8221 Germantown Ave., 4-8 p.m. For more information, email pawpathconsulting@gmail.com or visit @pawpathconsulting on Instagram.

Len Lear can be reached at LenLear@chestnuthilllocal.com.