Don’t just curse the darkness, shine a light!

Volunteers are the core at Helping Strays that allow the organization to achieve its mission daily. Volunteers provide support to the staff, the shelter animals, and provide a sustaining resource for the shelter and its endeavors.

Each volunteer position primarily exists because there is a need at the shelter. Running a shelter consists of many components that must work together for the daily routine to exist. Our volunteer positions were created with the goal of assisting the staff in helping to complete their job functions which allows for not only the shelter to exist, but for the proper care and health of each shelter animal.

When someone expresses an interest in volunteering, it will be required of those approved to pledge a minimum three-month commitment to Helping Strays in their volunteer role, pledging to volunteer 1-3 hours each week, or 2 half days per month. Because time and energies are invested in onboarding each new volunteer, Helping Strays wants to ensure that investment will not only benefit the volunteer, but the shelter as well.

This manual contains a listing of each volunteer job, its description, qualifications, and specific time commitment. Helping Strays will require that the time commitments listed be honored and met for anyone interested in that specific volunteer role. If someone is interested in volunteering but cannot make the necessary commitment, that individual’s request to be a volunteer will not be honored.

Because the shelter deals with live animals, we must limit the volunteer opportunities based on age. This is for the safety of every volunteer, but also the safety and wellbeing of the animals housed onsite. The following is a list of volunteer opportunities based on the age of the volunteer:

Volunteers 12 years-of-age and younger:

• Rescue Reader Volunteer

Volunteers 13-15 years-of-age:

• Rescue Reader Volunteer
• Donation Collection for Shelter
• Special Projects

Volunteers 16 years-of-age and older:

• Front Desk Volunteer (18+)
• Special Event Volunteer
• Dog Walker (18+)
• Feline Socialization
• Laundry Volunteer
• KSDK Today in St. Louis Volunteer (18+)
• Shelter Animal Feeding and Watering (18+)
• Adoption Event Volunteer
• Office Cleaning
• Canine Kennel Cleaning
• Transport Volunteer (18+)
• Feline Cleaning and Care
• Canine Enrichment Volunteer