Volunteer Opportunities in Local Pet Shelters

Whether it be through volunteers or donations, thousands of animal shelters across the country need help. Around the Virginia Beach area, two shelters need more volunteers to help take care of the pets they receive and get them ready to be adopted. One of these shelters is the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (VBSPCA) and the other is the Hope for Life Rescue.

The VBSPCA’s mission is to create a more humane and responsible community towards animals. Each year they provide shelter and care for about 2,600 homeless companion animals For VBSPCA, volunteers are important to collaborate with the staff in creating a positive environment that will aid in pet recovery while teaching humane education to the community through different tasks. Their volunteer program is separated into four distinct categories: Junior Volunteers, Adult Volunteers, School Community Service Volunteers, and Court Ordered Community Service Volunteers.

Hope for Life Rescue is a Christian animal shelter that has a pro-life philosophy because they are committed to the rescue and adoption of abandoned, abused, and neglected animals that usually come from high-kill shelters. These pets often come to the shelter in horrible conditions, but Hope for Life Rescue never gives up on them. Given that they have a small staff, they need all the volunteers they can get for daily tasks such as cleaning, socializing animals, and more. They also depend on volunteers to help transport animals from a variety of locations such as to and from the veterinarian’s office or from other shelters. There’s a spot for everyone!

Both of these organizations need volunteers for their animal foster services because they provide the animals with one-on-one care due to their age or spaces in the shelters being limited. Fostering also provides the caregiver a sense of being able to care for God’s creatures and to show kindness to an animal that hasn’t seen much compassion throughout its life. Whether you choose to be a volunteer or a foster in the Virginia Beach area or in the area where you live, you have the opportunity to make a difference in the community! 

For more information on volunteering at VBSPCA, email volunteer@vbspca.com or go to https://vbspca.com/volunteer/.For more information on volunteering at Hope for Life Rescue, go to: https://www.hopeforliferescue.com/volunteer