Whether you love cats or dogs, an animal in your local shelter can use your help. A great way to get involved is by forming a grassroots campaign in your hometown. We’ve gathered some information to help you do that.
Attend Town Meetings
Attend the meetings in your town and get to know your elected officials. This is particularly important if there is an issue about your animal shelter or the status of strays in your neighborhood. It’s important, before you go, to find out when the meeting is occurring and, if you can, try to recruit a couple of others to come with you. Have a list of questions if there is something you would like the legislators to put on their agenda. While at the meeting, make sure to keep your comments concise and, if you have a group of people with you, try to wear a sticker or a button to show that you are all together.
Work with the Shelter
Find out from the folks who run the shelter what their most pressing needs are — is it quality dog food or maybe money for medicine? Whatever it may be, start raising awareness in the community by sending letters to the editor of the local paper or even calling a reporter to see if they’ll do a story on the shelter and its needs. Oh, and don’t forget local churches or synagogues — most have written bulletins every week and they can put an announcement in there for you.
Marketing
If you have a way with words, consider offering to write a direct mail campaign for the shelter. This would be in the form of a plea for funds. Tell some stories about the great animals that are available for adoption and help them raise money for things like medicine, vet visits, and foster care.
Reach Out to the Humane Society
Reach out to your local, regional or even national humane society and see what they suggest for a good grassroots campaign. The ASPCA, HSUS and Best Friends Sanctuary have lots of ideas about running a local campaign to help animal shelters.
Volunteer
One of the best ways to find out what’s needed at the local shelter is to become a volunteer. You could be a shelter attendant, a dog walker or someone who simply spends time comforting the animals there.
No matter what you choose, the animals will thank you for your efforts on their behalf.
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
