Santa Barbara Humane launches new volunteer program
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - After a long hiatus, Santa Barbara Humane is finally welcoming volunteers to its campuses.
Volunteers are not only back to both campuses in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, the organization also launched a new volunteer program.
Both Santa Barbara Humane Society and Santa Maria Valley Humane Society had active volunteer programs before merging to become Santa Barbara Humane in 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization had to make the difficult decision to pause all volunteering at both campuses to ensure the health and safety of staff.
This pause allowed Santa Barbara Humane to restructure and modernize its volunteer program.
The organization now has a new manager of volunteer engagement, Dana Bushouse.
Bushouse plans to roll the program out in phases.
The first step will be recruiting volunteers to help with dogs.
Opportunities for volunteers wishing to work with cats or help out in the clinic will be coming soon.
Responsibilities for dog volunteers will include dog walking, basic manners training, kennel cleaning, and sanitation.
In order to better serve the animals, volunteer opportunities are currently limited to those 16 years or older who can commit to a minimum of two hours per week for 4 to 6 months.
Shift times are 7-9 AM, 12-2 PM, and 4-6 PM.
All interested parties, including those who previously volunteered at the campuses, will need to apply.
Community members can visit sbhumane.org/volunteer to fill out an application and sign up for a brief interview.
All volunteers must submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination and attend an orientation.
Staff at Santa Barbara Humane are eager to welcome volunteers back.
Organizers of the program are excited to get this program up and running.
They believe the work done by volunteers will make a major impact on both the animals and the community at large.
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