Just What Have We Been Doing?
If you’ve been missing blog post updates, we’ve been soooo busy! If something is missing it is often because we just don’t have enough volunteers to do everything!
The face of volunteerism has changed. More than half of our volunteers are well over 50 years old. My history is different from what many people are experiencing these days. I started volunteering in my late twenties, no kids, full time job. Twenty years later, still no kids, “retired”, I’m President of Feral Fixers, learning so much on that journey and making connections all along the way.
We are all overworked – doing multiple tasks any given day, any given week. It would help so much to have more fosters, more trappers, TNR volunteers & CiT caregivers, transporters, cleaners of crates, traps and carriers. Each one of those needs? We have people who not only trap but also foster and transport. People who clean and maintain inventory at the building – keeping in-kind donations under control. People who coordinate other volunteers, trying to valiantly keep shifts covered but ultimately ending up covering those animal care duties themselves when volunteers cannot make it in to do their shift.
We are no different from most organizations in our area. What has changed is the ability of people to volunteer consistently and responsibly and there are many societal causes. But it is the strength of an individual that we need to contribute what is so very valuable to the goal of reducing cat overpopulation and euthanasia.
The offers of limited hours on specific days may not fit our needs, but perhaps those hours do not have to be at the building, maybe it takes another form – soliciting donations for fundraisers, creating and manning fundraisers, networking in municipalities to increase endorsement of TNR, just a few examples. Those things are already being done by people who are doing several other things, take a load off our shoulders for specific activities. Bear in mind that you cannot just walk in and take over a task – we need to get to know you and your abilities, be sure you are going to stick and we can rely on you. And sometimes you need to be a bit pushier – about one in 10 volunteers is a keeper, we get discouraged spending the time we don’t have on an investment that is not going to work out.
Trying not to be negative, just express how much we need so many more volunteers to continue doing what we do!
208 Already So Far This Year!
We will be off the week of 5/21, resuming 5/28. Can’t wait to see how many we achieve this coming week!
- 04/14 – DCAS – 1 male feral
- 04/16 – DCAS – 2 males, 1 friendly, 1 feral, both with wounds on rump/tail.
- 04/20 – DCAS – 2 male ferals.
- 04/23 – DCAS – 3 friendly, 26 feral, 12 female, 17 male.
- 04/30 – DCAS – 5 friendly, 18 feral, 7 female, 16 male.
- 05/07 – DCAS – 6 friendly, 19 feral, 12 female, 13 male.
Our April total is 115, May total 25, 2026 total 208, 16,753 since 2007!
Getting ready for the 4/23 trip to DCAS...
As Many As Possible As Soon As Possible
