Volunteers hold rescued dogs for blessing at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York September 30, 2014. Timothy Cardinal Dolan commemorated the feast of St. Francis Assisi, the Roman Catholic patron saint of animals, by blessing shelter and rescued anim
IN PHOTO: Volunteers hold rescued dogs for blessing at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York September 30, 2014. Timothy Cardinal Dolan commemorated the feast of St. Francis Assisi, the Roman Catholic patron saint of animals, by blessing shelter and rescued animals. Every year Christians celebrate the feast of St. Francis, on October 4 by blessing animals. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Did you know that you can do a lot in your own little way to help an animal shelter? Many local shelters in your area are run by the government or by private organizations. Oftentimes, these shelters lack resources to pay off their workers, vet fees, animal foods and other needs that an extra hand can already mean a lot. Find out how you too can do your part in helping an animal shelter.

  1. Donate financially

One of the easiest, fastest, and most helpful things you can do is to donate financially to the shelter. The money you will give can be used to pay bills and other expenses.

  1. Donate in kind

Aside from money you can also donate in kind in the form of old clothes, newspapers, bowls, leash, pet carriers and many more. Shelters are not that well-equipped and they need materials that will help them run and maintain their facilities.

  1. Volunteer

You can also volunteer by lending a hand in cleaning and feeding the animals at the shelter. You can even hand out flyers, brochures and help in information dissemination regarding the needs of the shelter and its programs.

  1. Adopt

Another effective way to help your animal shelter is by adopting one or more of their rescued animals. You can adopt a dog or a cat instead of buying one that will cost you more money.

  1. Foster

There are cases when animal shelters get crowded and they need foster parents for their rescues. Give an animal a temporary home and who knows? It may just be the additional member you need in your family.

  1. Raise funds

Conducting fund raising activities for your local shelter is a big help in providing the animal their needs. You can raise money or ask for donations such as cat or dog food, medicines and many more.

  1. Share your skill

Shelters need skilled workers such as carpenters to help them in maintaining and repairing cages as well as photographers who can take pictures of their animals and post them for adoption. You too can share your expertise for free.

You can be as creative as you want as long as it can help an animal shelter especially one near your area. Animals need love and care and you can offer these to them by doing whatever you can to help a shelter.

For questions/comments regarding the article, you may email the writer at sprevendido25ibtimes@gmail.com

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