Community Outreach – Pet Food Bank Volunteer

At the core of our Community Outreach programs is the belief that people and pets belong together. While our adoption programs work to bring people and pets together, our Community Outreach programs work to keep people and pets together. We strive to achieve this goal by offering affordable and accessible animal care resources to pet owners and caretakers in underserved communities.

The MSPCA at Northeast Animal Shelter is seeking volunteers who are outgoing, friendly and love to meet new people, listen and problem solve. Our community engagement volunteers’ primary role will be to join outreach staff in going door-to-door or assisting in a Mobile Pantry/Pop-Up in specific neighborhoods to share information about our program and provide needed resources. Number of hours per week will range from 5-30 hours depending on weather and events.

Program Description:

One of the most impactful ways to keep pets in their homes is to assist families with pet food and supplies. We deliver weekly to 3-4 human food pantries a week, and provide pet food to families who contact us directly for assistance. This volunteer position would be 5-10 hours per week. This position works well in tandem to break up the tasks, and volunteers should expect to be working alongside another person. We also deliver to homebound seniors and a small group of Revere residents, so we would coordinate with volunteers on availability for deliveries.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Community Outreach Manager on fulfilling individual pet food requests and contacting requestors when their food is ready to be picked up.
• Pull food from the CO shelves in preparation for the delivery to the human food pantries every Tuesday, and organizing scheduled home deliveries.
• Track the amounts of food we give out along with documenting individual’s information in a database.
• Working knowledge/or willingness to learn Cognito (web based program) and Pets For Life Database.
• Occasionally assist driving pet food to local food banks or homes in the Salem, Lynn, Revere, and Danvers areas. Volunteers with excellent driving skills may be invited to learn to drive MSPCA vehicles for Community Outreach business.
  • Active driver’s license is required.

Required Skills and Attributes:

• Ability to work well and communicate effectively with the public, staff, and fellow volunteers.
• Ability to lift bags of dog/cat food (average size 15-30 lbs)
• Engage with pet owners in a polite and patient manner.
• Ability to work independently and communicate with CO manager and other volunteers.
• Able to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to be judgment-free in challenging situations.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and use good judgment in a fast paced, high stress environment.
• The ability to use basic math, including fractions.
• The ability to remain aware of your surroundings, and use good judgment with animals of all sizes.
• Able to be self-aware of body language when working with or around animals.
• Applicants must be able to adhere to rules regarding infectious disease quarantine and other important safety matters.

Other:

For this role, volunteers must have a valid driver’s license and their own personal vehicle. Volunteers will be subjected to a CORI and background check if driving MSPCA vehicles.

Time Commitment:

• Shifts are 2-4 hours in length, and fall between the hours of 7am-7pm. Please note, weekday shifts are not compatible with a traditional high school schedule.
• We are unable to accommodate requests for alterations to the schedule. Please ensure you will be available for the full duration of a shift before applying. Thank you!
• Minimum of 8 hours a month for a 4 month commitment. We ask that you ensure you have 4 consecutive months available for at least one shift a week before applying.
• Some weekday evaluation and training will be required as part of the application and onboarding process.
• If selected for an interview and accepted, shifts open at the time of your interview will be discussed and your shift will be set after onboarding.

We receive a high number of applications for this role. Please ensure all criteria is met before applying.

Available shifts:

Below are the gaps in our volunteer schedule that we are looking to fill. Please make sure your personal schedule lines up with our needs, otherwise your application may not be accepted.

• We are currently looking to fill:
  • All weekdays! (Monday – Friday)
• No weekend availability at this time.