Shelter Drive-By Update

Back in May, I featured a guest post from Kristine Lacoste over at Pets Adviser about her experiences doing a shelter drive-by. Today, she’s back with an update on how it’s started a bit of a chain reaction. See how easy it is? Be part of the revolution!

A few weeks have passed since I first started doing the shelter drive-by.  I was happy to learn just the very next week two small girls appeared with bags of cat litter at my shelter, and the shelter was thrilled to see more activity in the shelter drive-by campaign.  They added a wish list on Amazon and will soon be adding one at Wal-Mart for people to have the shelter’s needs at their fingertips any time of the day.

The shelter offers low cost veterinary care, and I wanted a way to tell their many daily customers about the shelter drive-by idea.  I created a postcard-sized flyer, printed four to a page, and dropped off 150 of them to get started.  By the time I returned the next week almost all of the postcards were gone, and the shelter reported receiving more items as a result.  People started dropping off bleach, paper towels, and much needed cat litter on their way home or out running errands.  Many people commented how easy the idea was to implement and wasn’t something they had thought of before.  Shelter supplies are up and as a result of people coming in more often, so are adoptions!

I went to the shelter the next Saturday to bring more items and ended up spending time socializing their large influx of kittens.  Soon I found myself there every Saturday since, and I can’t imagine my weekend without spending time at the shelter.  It’s funny how volunteering changes your thinking and perspective.  Every time I am out for appointments or errands, it’s the drive toward home that gets me thinking of the shelter.  I know it’s on the way and have found myself making special stops just to bring supplies (and sneak in and see the kittens, but don’t tell).

I have talked in the past about the high people get from volunteering, but I never experienced that feeling.  I expected an overwhelming sense of happiness and skipping down the driveway like a giddy school girl, but I guess I am wired a bit differently.  Then again, my parents always said I had my own way of doing things and never fell into the “most people” category.  Perhaps they were right.

What I did experience is a gradual sense of accomplishment.  Instead of one “high” moment, it feels to have slowly released over time.  Every day I know I am helping the shelter, the people, and the animals, and truth be told I would be there every day if I could.  Whether you get the volunteering rush all at once or just feel better about yourself over time, it’s worth giving it a try.

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Don’t forget to sign up for Pets Adviser’s newsletter before June 30 to enter our Shelter Drive-By contest.  Your registration only requires an email address and will earn you an entry in our raffle to win $100 in your name to the animal shelter of your choice.  If you email us photos to photos@petsadviser.com of your shelter drive-by, you will receive three bonus entries!  Winner will be contacted by email.