Volunteer Corner

Our Volunteer Corner gives people interested in helping the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter a chance to look at the various opportunities available. If after perusing the list, you want to help, please fill out our Volunteer Release Form here and someone will contact you.

 

 

PET BANKS

One way CVAS raises money is by placing Pet Banks at businesses throughout town. Our Pet Banks generate a nice income for the shelter. We have a pretty substantial list of businesses who allow us to put our pet banks in their stores, so we need reliable folks to help us collect the money. This would involve receiving a "pet bank route" which includes a list of businesses in the community where you would go every month or so (depending on how full the banks get) to pick up the donations and then bringing the money collected into the shelter. We generally try to create pet bank routes that are all in the same area, so we don't have volunteers running back and forth across town.

THRIFT STORES

We are always looking for volunteers at our Thrift Store at 66 South Main Street, Chambersburg, Pa. Volunteers help by sorting clothing and linens, hanging clothing up to sell, sorting jewelry, straigtening racks and helping get donations ready for the store. Volunteers are also needed to pick up furniture donated by folks who can't get the furniture to our stores. It is not necessary to have a truck though that is another way to help.

SHELTER GREETER

Greeters help assist customers by walking them back into cat and dog adoption and taking animals into bonding rooms so visitors can spend time with a furry friend. Greeters are at the shelter during business hours.

PETSMART

This is a special opportunity for diligent folks to help clean cat cages at the new Petsmart in Chambersburg. CVAS is an adoption partner with Petsmart charities and we are in need of volunteers to help us with adoptions at the new Chambersburg store. Volunteers for Petsmart must be available on a consistent basis on specific days.  Duties will include cleaning cages, socializing with cats, and assisting potential adopters.  This duty requires someone who is reliable and can stick to a schedule. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

CVAS has annual shelter events that occur at the same time every year where we would need volunteers to help greet the public, sell merchandise or food, provide information to the public or help with preparations. Below is a list of our yearly events and the weekends on which they usually fall:

Dog Walk  The fourth Saturday in October -- CVAS holds "Canines Venture Around the Shelter." We need volunteers to help with food, selling shelter merchandise, and collecting prizes for participants.

Chamberfest -- We have a table set up at our Chambersburg Thrift Store, usually on the third Saturday in July. Anyone who would be willing to man the table for a few hours would be a great help.

Apple Fest -- We have a table set up at our Chambersburg Thrift Store, usually on the third Saturday in October. Anyone who would be willing to man the table for a few hours would be a great help.

Christmas Open House -- Every year, we have an open house at CVAS around Christmas time to help the dogs and cats find a home for the holidays. Anyone who would be willing to help by baking treats for our human visitors, we'd appreciate it!

KENNEL CLEANING

This includes working as a kennel technician in the kennels to clean the shelter in preparation for being open to the public. It can include scooping kennels, doing laundry, cleaning dog and cat bowls and feeding the animals. It's not a job for the squeamish, but it does give the opportunity to come face to face with the homeless animals at CVAS and have a direct impact on their care.

LAUNDRY

Animal bedding is cleaned daily so that means lots of laundry.  Your help for a few hours a day once a week, or more if you choose, allows employees more time with the animals, especially those with medical needs.

SOCIALIZING ANIMALS

Socializing cats.  (Before you work with cats in any capacity, training would be provided.) The cats are not often out of their cages so our cats appreciate a visit to the bonding room to play, run and climb.  Please sanitize your hands before removing a cat from a cage.  (It is also a good idea to be sure one of the bonding rooms is empty before arriving with a cat - could be a dog in there!)  If more than one cat is in a cage or pen, they may go to the bonding room together.  If a cat is in a single cage, it cannot be in a bonding room with other cats.  How I remember… Cats living together in a cage or pen can go to the bonding room together. Otherwise, do not mix or they may hiss!  Please sanitize your hands when going to another cage.

Socializing dogs.  (Before you work with dogs in any capacity, training would be provided.) Let the Greeter know you are taking a dog for a walk or to a kennel to play. As with cats, please sanitize your hands before removing a dog and if you take one back to get a second dog to walk, etc.   Leashes are hung on the kennel doors.  Please go into the kennel with the dog, then leash the dog while you are still in that closed space.  If the hallway to the outside kennels is empty, you may proceed to the outside kennels.  No shelter dogs may go to the Dog Park as we don’t know how they and the owned dogs there may react.  We have found shelter dogs do not always respond like a dog who is a pet in a loving home.  Confidence, feeling safe and loved… these are what shelter dogs need.  Some shelter dogs are not used to walking on a leash at all. Staff will be able to direct you to what else you can do to help socialize shelter dogs find their loving forever home. 

FURNITURE PICK UP

Our Thrift Stores find wonderful success selling donated furniture, but we sometimes have a difficult time getting the furniture to our stores. Anyone who would be willing to help move furniture so we can bring in money to our Thrift Stores, which will in turn help the animals would be great.

OFFICE DUTIES

This position includes stuffing envelopes for mailings and putting together adoption kit folders and prepare adoption follow-up letters. CVAS has bulk mailings several times a year and would LOVE to have a list of reliable volunteers to help stuff envelopes and affix address labels in a timely manner. In addition, anyone who could help us put together our adoption kits and follow-up letters would be fantastic.

OUTDOOR UPKEEP

This includes manning the gardens and grounds around CVAS and possibly planting flowers in the spring.

If you would like to become a volunteer, please fill out our Volunteer Release Form here and someone will be in touch!

We would like to sincerely thank all of our volunteers who donate their time and efforts to help homeless pets. Without our volunteers, we wouldn't have as many successful events or adoptions. Thank you all so much!!