August 2025
Meet Maddie
This month’s featured volunteer has had a long and illustrious history with the Rescue. From 2019 through 2021, Maddie worked on SAFe’s staff as an Adoption Counselor and Foster Program Coordinator.
“It’s inter-species mutual aid!” Maddie says. “Caring for animals is a way to care for the Earth.”
She adds, “Humans and animals are impacted by climate change and displacement, and I find a lot of joy in being part of the network that gets creatures to a safe and loving place to land. It’s a perfect antidote to despair.”
Even after departing her role at SAFe to finish library school, Maddie stayed in touch with the team. In 2024, Maddie found herself returning to the fold.
“I was dropping off a donation last year,” Maddie says, “When I mentioned that I was interested in volunteering but couldn’t commit to a regular weekly shift because of my weird work schedule. [A staff member] mentioned that kitty transports are as-needed and [offered to] call on me when needed. It sounded perfect.”
How She Makes a Difference
Shuttling animals from place to place is an important—yet often overlooked—aspect of Rescue work. While our medical team provides in-house services like spaying, neutering and prescribing treatment plans for kitties onsite, more nuanced cases may require second or third opinions that only an off-site specialist can provide. That’s where Maddie comes in!
“I tell my friends and family that I drive Cat Uber,” Maddie jokes. “I sometimes get cats to medical appointments, or help them get to SAFe from other shelters in Washington or pick them up from the airport when they’re flying in from out of state.”
Many people dread driving to the airport, but Maddie has found a way to make the trek fun (being surrounded by cats helps.)
“I often bring a friend on airport drives,” Maddie says. “It’s a really good way to get people to hang out with you.”
Outside of SAFe
Maddie helps kitties in her spare time, but she also helps others in her day job as a children’s librarian and through her involvement with Books to Prisoners. In fact, she credits her SAFe experience as an influence on her career track.
“Working at the rescue was amazing training for librarianship,” Maddie reflects. “The adoption counseling conversation is a lot like a library reference interview. Just like how there’s a book for every reader, there’s a human for every cat.”
It’s no surprise that as a librarian, Maddie is an avid reader. Every summer, she aims for a full blackout on her SPL Book Bingo Card–and, as of this blog’s publication, she’s nearly there!
When she’s not burying her nose in a book (and often when she is), Maddie can be found cuddling up with her three cats: Ollie, the “enormous old man who loves to snuggle,” Circe, a “Goth girl with psychic powers who we found on Home to Home,” and the newest addition to her clan, SAFe alum Bug Anne Monstera, whom she refers to as “the weirdest person on Earth.” Maddie’s also a crafter, regular Geek Girl Con attendee, and amateur vegan chef.
Thank you for making the world a better place for everyone from our furry friends to the next generation of readers, Maddie! Your kindness is making an impact on so many, and we are so grateful to have you as part of our community.
