As the founder and CEO of Redemption Paws- a Canadian registered charity well-known for helping dogs find forever homes through their foster-based approach, Nicole Simone recognizes that fostering pets is an excellent way to support dogs as they transition to healthy home lives.
She notes, however, that people who are interested in helping the shelters and rescues in their communities often believe that fostering or adopting is the only way to do so. This can be a point of contention for animal lovers because there may be several factors at play that make adopting or fostering not possible for the time being.
Nicole Simone of Redemption Paws maintains that there are several different ways that animal lovers can show their support to local rescues and the animals that they care for aside from fostering. Here, she explores just a few of the most common ways that animal lovers everywhere are teaming up to keep animals well-taken care for as they continue the search for their forever homes.
Donate
One of the simplest ways that animal lovers can support local animal organizations is through donating. Monetary donation is a great way to contribute because shelters and rescues depend on donations and additional assistance to expand their reach to help more animals. Anyone that volunteers for a shelter will tell you that any little bit goes a long way towards continuing high-quality care for the animals.
Nicole Simone of Redemption Paws recognizes that monetary methods are not the only way to donate. Some animal lovers prefer to donate pet products such as food, blankets, leashes, and toys to local organizations instead. Some locations will take both gently used and new products. If you are looking to donate goods to a shelter or rescue, it is important to know that many shelters have online wish lists where supporters can purchase items to send them directly.
Provide Transport for Animals
Some local animal organizations need assistance with transporting animals to either their foster or forever homes. This can be the case for rescues that rescues in more rural areas that have low foot traffic and issues with overpopulation.
Volunteering to transport these animals from rescues to their new homes can be a great way to show support because it can be difficult for rescues to amass the resources to handle transportation in the event that a foster or adoptive pet parent cannot make the trip themselves. People interested in volunteering in this way can do so through online resources that list animal organizations in need of transportation support.
Helping with transportation is an often overlooked way to support a local animal organization
Volunteer Your Skills
Volunteering is a popular way for animal lovers to show their dedication to helping animals while supporting their local animal organizations. Most shelters will have a program that can be checked into, usually requiring a brief orientation where volunteers will be instructed on how to perform their duties at the rescue.
While there are many responsibilities that volunteers may be needed for, some of the most common include cleaning kennels, handling correspondence for applications, taking calls, and taking the dogs out to get exercise. An added benefit of helping perform these tasks aside from helping the animals remain safe, healthy, and secure is that it can connect animal lovers with others who are active in their communities.
Nicole Simone maintains that just about anyone can find their niche while volunteering. Because there are many different facets of the work that animal rescues do, it is possible that they could use your special skills in other areas such as bookkeeping, photography, graphic art, law, and aa variety of other areas of expertise. When looking into volunteering, it helps to consider your skills and how you could be an asset to the organization and the many animals they support on a day-to-day basis.
Attend Fundraising Events
Rescues will often hold fundraising events because they are great for receiving donations, connecting animals with foster or forever homes, and offer opportunities for animal lovers to connect. Fundraising events provide volunteers with the opportunity to use their skills to help support local organizations while having fun at the same time. A benefit of this type of volunteering is the sheer number of ways that assist. Events typically need volunteers to set up, man their stations, answer questions from potential pet adopters or fosterers, and close down after a successful fundraising effort. Getting active in these events also shows others that joining in on efforts to support rescues can be extremely rewarding and fun.
Show Your Support Online
Showing support through social media is a simple yet effective method for assisting local organizations. Sharing posts created by rescues either about their day-to-day work, animals currently up for adoption, or upcoming events is helpful because it expands the reach of the organization. When people see these posts, they may be inspired to show support in their own ways as well.
Social media support is used to its greatest effect when it is combined with encouraging others to join the cause. When trustworthy individuals voice their interest in adopting a pet, point them to local organizations that can connect them with a furry friend! If someone you know is looking for a way to get rid of new or gently used pet products, direct them to lists provided by local rescues! Getting your surrounding community active and interested in assisting can be an extremely powerful method for amplifying efforts to show support.
Interested in Finding Alternative Ways to Help Your Local Rescue?
Nicole Simone of Redemption Paws knows that fostering is not always an option for animal lovers for any of a variety of reasons, but she urges those interested to find equally helpful ways to support organizations that are doing hard work in their communities to keep animals healthy and safe.
If you are interested in donating your time and efforts to a local effort, Nicole encourages you to reach out to see what areas they could use assistance in. Volunteering or donating in any capacity is always appreciated. Every effort goes a long way towards helping animal organizations increase their capacity to care for the well-being of the animals they support!
