Outreach Ministries: Animal Welfare Programs

Animals share this world with us as partners, companions, laborers, and even food sources. If it is your organization’s goal to give back to the community, it is essential that our furry, feathery, and yes even scaly friends not be forgotten. Below are some programs that benefit animal welfare in a variety of ways.

1. Feed the (4-Legged) Homeless

The dog has been man’s best friend for centuries. In the case of a homeless person, they may very well be their only friend. Why not help them out? Collect donations of dry dog food, bowls, flea collars, toys, beds, shampoo, etc. Arrange items into care packages. Give them out to the homeless with dogs. If you have a soup kitchen or clothing closet, you can combine the two events. Keep your eye out when driving around town. You’ll quickly spot those who have pets. Or, you can post flyers in highly visible public areas.

2. Pick a Charity, any Charity

Have you always had a soft spot in your heart for horses? Maybe you care deeply about exotic cat rescue. If there is a particular animal welfare cause you support, why not share it with the community? There are a couple ways to do this:

• Set up a booth- on campus, at a local farmer’s market, during the spring carnival, whenever there area lot of people in one place.
• Visit local schools- Teacher’s are always looking for guest speakers. Just make sure you study up on your animal of choice.
• Call the charity itself- They may have suggestions on how you can help. Check their website for literature you can pass out.
• Be Creative- Come up with unique ways to grab people’s attention. Free giveaways usually work. (Free food always works.) Dress up, sing a song, or host a puppet show, whatever you need to do to get people to pay attention. Just remember, people don’t like to be preached at, so keep it non-judgmental.

3. Spay/Neuter Awareness Day

Animal Overpopulation is a serious problem in the U. S. Each year thousands of animals are euthanized simply because there is no home for them. You can make a difference by encouraging community members to spay/neuter their pets. Sponsor a special awareness day for pet owners. Team up with your local animal shelter or veterinarian. Ask them to supply a guest speaker to your cause along with any reading materials they may have. Compile a list of all the low cost sterilization centers in your area to hand out to guests. Just how important is it to sterilize your pet? Just one unaltered female cat and her offspring can produce an estimated 420,000 cats in only seven years. In six years, a female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies!

4. Improve your local Animal Shelter

Some animal shelters are wonderful places; many are in serious need of reform. Citizen involvement is essential if progress is to be made. You can be successful by organizing friends, neighbors, and other concerned individuals to take action:

• Document! Before you can launch a campaign to make changes at your local humane society or shelter, you must thoroughly document the abuses occurring there. Common problems include cruel killing methods, dirty conditions, lack of veterinary care, and lack of adequate food and water.
• Organize a meeting with other interested people and set goals. Address the most serious problems first. Group members should be familiar with your state’s anti-cruelty statutes, local animal ordinances, and the specifics of animal behavior and care.
• Present your case. Depending on the problems that you have observed, you may want to start by meeting with the shelter director to discuss how you might help improve the facility. If this approach fails or is not feasible, request a hearing before the agency that oversees the shelter.
• Launch letter-writing campaigns to contact local officials. Be sure to write letters of thanks when improvements are made. Develop media contacts so that the entire community gets up-to-date information.
• Write letters to the editor. Keep the issue alive in the media by using this easy, free channel to educate the community!
• Focus on specific problems. And don’t expect to get everything that you ask for all at once.
• At all times, maintain a positive attitude. For each problem that you encounter, offer a solution, along with assistance in implementing your suggestions.

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