Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community, help out the shelter, and be around animals that need your love and attention!
Being a YVAS volunteer doesn’t just mean cuddling puppies and kittens all day—although that can be part of it! Our YVAS volunteers help around the shelter by taking on tasks that staff would never have time to complete all by themselves. Volunteers help with shelter “housekeeping,” cleaning outside yards, sorting donations, laundry, sanitizing wild boxes, making adoption packets and goody bags, preparing enrichment, and much more. Know that every task is essential to the animal’s health and well-being and dramatically impacts our ability to care for these animals.
Volunteer Age Requirements:
All YVAS Volunteers must be at least 10 years old. Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied during all volunteer activities by an adult who is also a trained YVAS volunteer. Volunteers under 18 must have a parent or guardian’s signature to participate in shelter activities.
Liability:
All YVAS volunteers will be asked to sign a liability and photo release. Understand that there are always risks involved in working around live animals, especially when we don’t know the backgrounds of most animals in our care.
How to Become a YVAS Volunteer
If you have any additional questions about volunteering that were not covered by our video above, please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Lindsay, at [email protected].
Feline Fan Club:
Feline Fan Club is a program designed especially for those children, between the ages of five and nine, who are too young to take part in our regular volunteer program. We typically offer this opportunity on the second Saturday of each month where kids can come and read books to shelter cats for half an hour. Space is limited so pre-registration is required. View our Special Events calendar for upcoming dates.
Special Events Volunteering:
We often have volunteers help out at special events such as adoption events, booths at festivals, shelter holiday events, our low-cost spay & neuter clinics, and more. Volunteers assist staff by answering questions about the shelter and the adoption process, transporting animals, and creating positive interactions in the community. Volunteers will be notified of upcoming events and have access to sign-ups.
Group Volunteering:
Businesses and organizations are invited to spend a day volunteering together at YVAS! Group volunteer days can be scheduled for groups of four or more and include helping with daily shelter operations, plus opportunities for animal interaction. To make the greatest impact, we ask groups to provide a monetary donation to help cover the resources needed to host your team and to directly support the life-saving work YVAS provides. Supply donations are also welcome, but financial contributions allow us to put support exactly where it’s needed most.
All volunteers must be at least 10 years old and complete a liability release form prior to participation. For questions or to schedule your group, please
click here to fill out this form.
Court-Ordered Community Service:
Court-ordered community service is separate from our regular Volunteer Program. Participants will not be working directly with the animals but instead will be completing shelter housekeeping tasks.
