Night Elf Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 So I've been volunteering at my local no-kill shelter for a couple of weeks now. It's going okay but not great. I have tried 3 jobs. One is at the pet store on Saturday when we bring in animals for adoption. People shopping come by and look and hopefully take a pet home. There were so many volunteers there that there was hardly room to stand near the cages. I stood there for 2.5 hours doing absolutely nothing so I left. I figured I'd keep an eye on the weekly roster and if only a couple of people show up, I'll go and help. Otherwise I'd rather not go there again. My favorite is cat socialization. We have 3 cat rooms total and I go in and spend 30 minutes in each one petting the cats and talking to them. I clean their litter pans if needed. I love sitting on the floor and having some of them come crawl into my lap. The kitten room is wonderful! When I sit down in there, I end up with a pile of 4-5 kittens laying in my lap. This job doesn't require any physical activity. The last job I've tried is called shelter help. It's early in the morning and it's going in and prepping the rooms for public viewing that starts at noon. Each room gets thoroughly cleaned literally from top to bottom. Then there are things like washing food/water bowls, scrubbing litter pans, laundry, and sweeping/mopping the hallways. I know they need help but I don't know if I can do this job much longer. It makes my back hurt. I was there last Saturday from 8:00am to 10:30am and went home and was stuck in bed most of the rest of the day because my back was hurting so bad. The last few times I did this job wasn't that bad. I'm scheduled to go this morning and I'm nervous. I'm worried my back will start hurting again. If it does, I'm going to have to stop going to this job. Overall I'm liking it. It gets me out of the house several times a week and I get to spend time with some lovely animals. I just wish I loved all the opportunities they have. I feel bad if all I can do is socialization. That's the easiest job. They also run a thrift store and need volunteers there. I might give that a try. One thing. Doing shelter help in the mornings are community service workers, people who are earning credits for community service usually due to traffic citations or whatnot. When there isn't much to do, I leave it for them and I go home. They need the hours. So some days I'm not even needed very long and some days only 1 or 2 show up and we're scrambling trying to get everything done. I have a feeling the thrift store has CSW's there because it seems like an easy job. But they don't sign up like volunteers so when I see how many volunteer opportunities there are on their software program, it doesn't take into account any CSW's who might be there. I'm worried if I get to the thrift store, I'll be standing around with nothing to do. I'm going to ask Elise who I call the lead volunteer about it this morning. She's been there 8 years and knows everything about the cat building and adoption day. I wonder if she knows about the thrift store. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 If it's just a matter of getting used to the physical labor of cleaning the shelter rooms, that job might get easier (as you suggest it has) over the course of a few months. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Can you specify that you don't mind helping with the cleaning but that you can't do it all by yourself? Or is it already a multi-person thing? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 You might find socialization with the kitters the easiest but I think it's probably the most important. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I’m glad you got out of your comfort zone! You will find your place. If you can pinpoint which task is hurting your back, I would request not to do it. It would just be a matter of using muscles that aren’t used to being worked though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 The nice thing is, you're getting experience now and meeting people who can recommend you. After working there for even 6 months, you should be able to move on to something else where you feel more needed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 I worked 1.5 hours this morning doing the kitten room by myself. It's climbing a step ladder, bending, twisting and reaching. But so far my back doesn't hurt. Maybe I'll be okay today. There's usually one person per room doing the cleaning and I like the kitten room the best because it's smallest. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I wish I could socialize kittens! 😻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieC Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 What are the sign up procedures for volunteering? Do you have anyway of knowing how many will be there? Signing up to help with something only to find there are way more people there than needed is a huge pet peeve of mine. I would ask the volunteer coordinator about the staffing situation for the thrift store and give that a try. It's possible that if there are extra people, they will have you stocking the shelves or sorting donations. If that doesn't work, I would just keep socializing kitties and cleaning, as long as my back wasn't hurting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Glad it’s working out. Do you usually have back problems? If not, I think your body just needs to get used to different muscles being used and with some ibuprofen and rest afterwards, your back can get used to the new movements. If you already have back problems, then maybe not. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 What are the sign up procedures for volunteering? Do you have anyway of knowing how many will be there? Signing up to help with something only to find there are way more people there than needed is a huge pet peeve of mine. I would ask the volunteer coordinator about the staffing situation for the thrift store and give that a try. It's possible that if there are extra people, they will have you stocking the shelves or sorting donations. If that doesn't work, I would just keep socializing kitties and cleaning, as long as my back wasn't hurting. The shelter has no way of knowing how many workers will show up in the morning. They just arrive at the door. If there are too many, they turn people away. So one day we may have none and the next day 3. It's crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieC Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) The shelter has no way of knowing how many workers will show up in the morning. They just arrive at the door. If there are too many, they turn people away. So one day we may have none and the next day 3. It's crazy. That would drive me crazy! I hate to say it, but I would be looking for a new volunteer opportunity. I hope it works out for you! Edited November 22, 2017 by AngieC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I’m so excited for you!! The whole tone of your writing has changed so much since your last thread. You sound so much more confident. Look at you, knowing about CSWs, and who is in charge, and how everything works! You will be the new Elise in no time. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Beth, no advice here, but I've caught bits of your steps to find a volunteer job. I want you to know how much I admire your willingness to step out of your comfort zone. This hasn't been a rash decision for you, it's been a process. I'm so happy for you that you've found something you enjoy, and I do have every confidence that you will work this out to best fit your needs. Your determination to walk this path and to not give up is truly a lovely model for your children. We can all be inspired by you. Blessings to you this Thanksgiving. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 I’m so excited for you!! The whole tone of your writing has changed so much since your last thread. You sound so much more confident. Look at you, knowing about CSWs, and who is in charge, and how everything works! You will be the new Elise in no time. We'll see! I like working the days she's there because I'm trying to get to the place where the routine is second nature to me rather than having me second guess myself. There is a regular staff member there from 7am to 12noon who does the cleaning and a few other things so she also helps tell the CSW's what to do next. Yesterday she had me working with one who wasn't doing a great job and was moving slowly. She could tell he didn't want to be there. He had his cell phone out with some sort of tv program playing on it. So I went in and stood over him while he did his work and I helped out too, so I wasn't trying to be mean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 Beth, no advice here, but I've caught bits of your steps to find a volunteer job. I want you to know how much I admire your willingness to step out of your comfort zone. This hasn't been a rash decision for you, it's been a process. I'm so happy for you that you've found something you enjoy, and I do have every confidence that you will work this out to best fit your needs. Your determination to walk this path and to not give up is truly a lovely model for your children. We can all be inspired by you. Blessings to you this Thanksgiving. Thank you. That's very sweet. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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