970-434-7337 info@rhhumanesociety.org

Thanks for Giving: Volunteer Week

by | Nov 8, 2020 | Blog

TFG Volunteer Week

Volunteer Opportunities at Roice-Hurst Humane Society

It’s Thanks for Giving Week at Roice-Hurst Humane Society, and this week we are thankful for our volunteers who give their time to benefit the animals at our shelter! There are many ways you can give your time as a Roice-Hurst volunteer, both at the shelter or from home.

Volunteer On-Site

At the shelter, we rely on our volunteers to ensure our animals are enriched and our facility stays clean. On-site volunteering includes socializing cats, walking dogs, keeping up with dishes, laundry, and other cleaning tasks, assisting in our vet room, helping on surgery days by cleaning surgical instruments or helping animals recover post-surgery, keeping our grounds beautiful, and so much more! 

Volunteer Off-Site

You don’t need to spend a ton of time at the shelter to make an impact! Here are a few volunteer opportunities that can be done off-site:

  • Foster! One of the most impactful things you can do for our shelter pets is to foster! Almost all of the animals in our shelter are eligible to move into a foster home. We rely on foster homes to care for a variety of animals, from bottle baby kittens and puppies, nursing moms, and under-socialized animals to our adoptable dogs and cats who would simply be more comfortable waiting for adoption while in a foster home! For more information about our foster program, visit rhhumanesociety.org/foster.
  • Make DIY toys and snuffle mats! There are so many items you can create in the comfort of your home to benefit our animals. We love finding new ways to provide enrichment to our dogs and cats, including new toys that you can make at home and donate to us, such as snuffle mats! Snuffle mats are toys that consist of fleece strips tied onto a rubber mat. We throw kibble and treats into these mats so our dogs can sniff and search through the fleece for the hidden rewards. Click the links below for DIY instructions, or look up other DIY toy ideas online! 
  • Bag food for our pet pantry! We offer a free pet pantry for pet parents who have fallen on hard times and need some help with pet food and other pet-related items. We also regularly donate excess pet food to other local organizations and food banks throughout our community. You can support these programs by bagging up specific quantities of pet food from large bags into smaller bags. You can do this from home if you stop by to pick up the supplies as a volunteer!
  • Transport pets or run errands! Each week, we use volunteers to transport cats to our off-site adoption sites at PetSmart, PetCo, and J&M Aquatics. As a volunteer, simply pick up the cats from the shelter, drop them off at their destinations, and then return the carriers to the shelter. We occasionally request volunteer help to run various other errands around the valley.
  • Office work! We occasionally need volunteer assistance with various types of office work, some of which can be done from home.

Becoming a Volunteer

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer for Roice-Hurst Humane Society, please submit a Volunteer Application at rhhumanesociety.org/volunteerprogram. If you have any questions, please contact Foster & Volunteer Coordinator Jenna Kretschman at jenna@rhhumanesociety.org or 970-434-7337 ext. 108.

Volunteer Opportunities in Our Community

Volunteering with Roice-Hurst is not the only way to make a difference. Your friends, family, and neighbors will all appreciate a helping hand. Consider taking time to consider volunteering in the community as well. 

Giving Your Time to Others

  • Walk your neighbor’s dog. Maybe you have an elderly neighbor or someone that can’t get out easily on their own. Helping them get their dog out and about could really make their day!
  • Take a friend a meal. We all have those days that make our head spin! Having someone bring over a pre-made meal takes stress out of part of the day. Plus, you may be giving them something delicious to eat that they would never make on their own. 
  • Send a thoughtful note. It’s always nice to know someone is thinking about you. Receiving a thoughtful note or word of encouragement is a great pick-me-up. 
  • Pay for someone’s coffee. Mornings are hard. Buying someone a caffeine drink to get them alert and going is a great way to start both of your days. 
  • Say a kind word to a stranger. We all know that feeling we get when someone tells us they like our hair or we did a great job. Spread that joy by telling a stranger something nice. It is a guaranteed way to make someone feel great. 
  • Check in on someone. This has been one up and down year. Take time to check-in on a friend or family member. Taking time to say hi can really make a difference in someone’s life. 

THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS!

Regardless of how you volunteer, with us or out in the community, please know you are making a huge difference. We could not do the work we do without the support of our amazing volunteers. Whether we see your smiling face at the shelter regularly or you work your magic behind the scenes, we are immensely grateful for you and the hard work you do for this organization. We are so lucky to have you on our team and in our community!