Search Results for: blog helping your local shelter

Visiting and Helping an Animal Shelter

We love animals. My daughter would like a dog, but I think that we are full at the moment. With fish, two pet rats, and four – ack! – cats, the ark is definitely not taking any more animals at the moment. She would also like to be a vet (and a sushi chef, and a doctor, and a …). She likes to pretend that she is rescuing animals. If you have a child who also loves animals, visiting or helping an animal shelter or rescue center is one way to encourage their interest. If you can visit the shelter … Continue reading →

Holiday Help for Animal Shelters

Let’s face it: most animal shelters need help throughout the year in the form of volunteers, monetary donations, and donations of food and other items for the residents. But the holidays are a great time to offer a little extra help to your favorite shelter! If you’re the sort of person who buys holiday gifts for your furry, feathered, and scaly family members, you might want to think about picking up an extra something and bringing it to your local shelter. Food, treats, and toys are always welcome. Your local shelter may also keep a list of specifics they need … Continue reading →

What Does Your Local Humane Society or Shelter Need?

Do you know what kind of things your local humane society or shelter could use? I know shelters can always use food, money, and volunteers but on a recent trip to the Nashville Humane Society I was impressed to find flyers listing the things they needed. The Nashville Humane Society’s “Things We Need” List Small, medium and large Milk Bones Towels 13 gallon and 55 gallon trash bags Paper towels All sizes of collars 6 foot dog leashes Small, medium and large binder clips Rubber or plastic dog and cat toys Non-scoopable cat litter Purina or Meow Mix Kitten Chow … Continue reading →

Attracting Butterflies to Your Yard

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Butterflies can be a beautiful, fascinating, colorful addition to your backyard habitat! Sadly, many butterflies have lost their favorite feeding spots and breeding grounds to human development. Areas that have not been built up may instead be poisoned with deadly pesticides. By inviting butterflies into your yard, you can help them feed, breed, and flourish. It can be very easy to attract butterflies to your yard. Here’s what you’ll need: Food for caterpillars — after all, that’s where butterflies come from! Caterpillars have chewing mouths and like to eat leaves and stems. Food for butterflies. Butterflies have sucking mouths and … Continue reading →

Helping Animal Shelters During a Recession

Some say the worsening economy is not quite a recession yet, others are convinced we’re already there. Whether we are or not, one thing is clear: with gas and food going up like they are, people have less to spend. Not only less discretionary income, but also less charitable giving monies to distribute. Some charities are going to feel the pinch more than others. Especially because historically this time of year (from now until fall) is when people tend not to give. (Come the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year, people tend to be more generous.) That’s why I say … Continue reading →

How to Make Your Homeschoolers Good Citizens

Yesterday I addressed the assumption that homeschoolers may turn out to be poor citizens. Realizing that this accusation is just another way to make homeschooling appear inferior, just like the socialization issue, it is still important for homeschoolers to work to invalidate such statements. Helping your homeschooled children become good citizens is actually quite simple. The most important thing you can do is model good citizenship. Here are some steps you can take. Teach students history of their country, state, and locality. Also, teach them history according to their heritage. This of course can happen in the course of homeschooling. … Continue reading →

Connect With Your Kids

As a single parent there is a lot that needs to be done in a day. Depending on you, your situation, and your choices, you need to get up, get your morning routine done, whatever that may be, get your children up, and possibly get them ready for school or day care, get them to school or daycare, go to work whether it be at a company or your own business, clean the house, go to school, homeschool or help with homework, make tasty healthy meals for you and your children, get them to and from extra curricular activities, pay … Continue reading →

Volunteering With Your Kids

We recently volunteered at a local Youth and Women’s Alliance (a sort of independent YWCA). The activity was organized through my employer as part of the nationwide Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. It was a terrific day full of coloring with toddlers, playing basketball with tweens and cleaning, organizing and straightening the many bookshelves, supply closets, board games and puzzles lying around the place. In the words of Jimmy Valvano “It was a full day”. As anyone who has ever volunteered knows, there is a great sense of purpose and accomplishment that engulfs you after your work is … Continue reading →

Five Non-Cash Ways to Help Animals/Shelters this Holiday Season

This is the time of year when giving and helping is foremost on everyone’s minds. It’s natural to feel a little more generous and charitable right now, and many with pets want to help animals less fortunate than their own. However, sometimes the desire to give outweighs the means. If cash is tight there are still other ways you can contribute: 1) Time: Commit to spending an hour every week (or every other) at a shelter. Shelters are always looking for volunteers for a variety of jobs. (Not just for cleaning up, but for extra help during fundraising events, rescue … Continue reading →

Helping Foster A Sense of Communty In Your Kids

In a previous blog, I talked about the benefits of teens volunteering. Volunteering is a great way to foster a sense of community in your kids and in their book, 365 Ways to Help Your Children Grow, the authors give several ideas on ways your family can volunteer together. Here are some of them: (1) Adopt A Grandparent — Find an elderly neighbor or a resident in a nursing home who may not have any family nearby and become their surrogate family. (2) Adopt A Family — If you know of a less fortunate family in your neighborhood, your family … Continue reading →