Here’s How You Can Help Animal Shelters If You Can't Adopt or Foster

While adopting is the best way to help animal shelters, there are situations where we aren’t capable of doing so. It could be that one of our family members has allergies, or the place we’re currently living in doesn’t allow pets. Regardless, it’s not the end of the road. If you truly want to give animal shelters a helping hand, there are other ways to do so. We’ve listed some of them below.

Donating in Cash or Kind

Donate directly to shelters if you have extra cash. Their donation channels mostly support different modes of payment, from bank deposits to e-wallets like GCash, so you can do a one-time or recurring donation easily.

You can also donate in kind if you know shops or suppliers with near expiring pet food. Shelters consume a lot in a day, so you’re sure that the food you’ll donate will help fill the stomachs of rescue animals in need. Other items you can donate are leashes, collars, bedding, and food bowls. Check with your chosen shelter if they have a wish list to be sure.

Apart from food, you can donate materials that caretakers will find useful, such as surgical gloves, rubber boots, shelving, and cleaning materials like detergents, trash bags, and brooms. Secondhand appliances and equipment are also appreciated, such as treadmills (for exercise) and freezers (for proper food storage).

Sponsoring a Rescue

Most animal shelters are now on social media, so it’s easier to get updates on their rescue missions and daily activities. If you want to help a particular rescue, you can sponsor their needs until they’re fully rehabilitated and find a permanent loving home.

For those with a bigger budget, you can sponsor spay and neuter drives to target the root cause of the growing number of strays in your area. This will help reduce the number of unwanted litters and in turn, the strays that need to be rescued in the future.

Volunteering

Animal shelters run mostly with the help of volunteers, who also have their own lives to take care of. With the many things they have to do, giving them a hand will surely make their tasks lighter. All you need is to contact them to schedule your visit and discuss what you can help with. You can walk and play with rescue animals, clean and sanitize cages, or help transport a rescue (if you have a car).

If you can’t visit personally, you can volunteer by offering your skills instead. For example, you can help them create visuals for their social media posts. If you organize events by profession, you can help them run their own fundraising event and find sponsors.

Attending Fundraisers and Buying Merchandise

If there are currently no events, you can check the shelter’s website or socials to see if they have a shop page or ask if they’re on Shopee or Lazada.

Signal Boosting

Don’t underestimate the power of social media. If you can’t help now, there’s a chance that somebody else can. Signal boosting helps pass the message to anyone who has the capacity to extend a helping hand, whether it’s volunteering to rescue a stray or donating for a shelter’s emergency need. Even if there’s nothing urgent going on, you can regularly share the advocacy of animal shelters to encourage people to adopt and not shop.