Fill out a volunteer application.
Volunteers are a very important part of our shelter family. Our shelter has a very small staff of full and part-time employees. All other “workers”, including the Board of Directors, are volunteers. We would not be able to do the work that we do without you! Volunteering should be a learning experience, so please feel free to ask as many questions as you like. We would be happy to share our knowledge with you and hope you enjoy your time with both humans and felines at the sanctuary.
The best start to a lifetime of volunteering is to start young. Children of all ages are welcome as volunteers. Your volunteer time is an experience where you can learn about animal care. Children under the age of 16 years must be accompanied by their parents.
The shelter is open to volunteers seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please ask about holiday hours. Since the animals need care 365 days a year, we do need help on holidays. You do not need to call ahead to volunteer. We need the most help from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. If you would like to commit to a set shift, please talk to any staff member at the shelter. We sincerely appreciate it when our volunteers can keep to a scheduled weekly shift, however we understand that our volunteers lead busy lives, so we will gladly accept your help anytime.
For more information or to volunteer, please call us at (845) 831-4321 or send us an email at volunteer@midhudsonanimalaid.org.
There are two types of volunteer activities: in-shelter and off-site.
In-shelter Activities
There are many tasks within the shelter that must be done on a daily basis.
Volunteers help clean the shelter, do laundry, care for the cats and socialize the cats. Additionally, there is gardening work and painting, on an as needed basis. When you socialize and care for the animals, you help to make their stay here more enjoyable which will help make the animals happier and more appealing to adopters.
Volunteers are welcome on a regular schedule or whenever available even if only for a few hours. Help is needed to clean and feed the cats from 9:15 a.m. to noon, prior to the opening to the public. Socialization of the cats happens beginning at noon.
Off-site Activities
In addition to the in-shelter activities, there are many opportunities to support MHAA outside of the shelter. You can join a committee or simply volunteer your time supporting a particular activity or program as follows.
Board of Directors. We are currently seeking new board members. There are criteria you must meet to be on the board, including being active with fundraising.
Feral Socialization Committee. This committee manages the Feral Friends program, which aims to reduce the feral population in the shelter by promoting, training, educating and mentoring staff, volunteers and the public about the program, fostering and adoption.
Food and Litter Drives Committee. This committee does outreach events for donations of cat food, litter and supplies to help offset shelter costs.
Fostering Cats. We often need to temporarily foster cats and kittens in homes for a variety of reasons. This could be for a few days up to a few weeks, depending on the situation. If you are interested in fostering one of our animals, please contact our Shelter Manager at sheltermanager@midhudsonanimalaid.org.
Fundraising Committee. The Fundraising Committee is responsible for the planning and implementation of events. Events are ongoing and could include activities such as tournaments (e.g. golf, volleyball), an auction, penny social, bake sales, online events and more., bake sales,and other events. The committee welcomes new ideas, and the talent and enthusiasm of volunteers to prepare and staff events. Inquiries may be sent to: info@midhudsonanimalaid.org
Grant Committee. The purpose of this committee is to seek out, submit proposals for, and handle any reporting pertaining to grants that assist with various costs and/or programs at the shelter.
Newsletter Committee. We have a newsletter that comes out quarterly that requires writing articles about our cats and shelter happenings.
Safety and Maintenance Committee. Our building often needs light maintenance. If you have any type of skills such as painting or yard work, your help would be very much appreciated!
Volunteer Committee. This committee solicits new volunteers and manages the volunteer program. volunteer@midhudsonanimalaid.org
Every hour you give to us, makes the world happier for them!