April 18th to 24th is one of the most important weeks in animal welfare: Volunteer Appreciation Week! SAFe Rescue is incredibly lucky to have such wonderful volunteers and fosters, and there is never a better time to say one big “THANK YOU” to all of our volunteers and fosters, past, present, and future.
The SAFe volunteer and foster community is the heart and soul of everything we do; without their hard work to support the homeless cats in our care, we would not be able to help all of the felines and people who rely on the Rescue as a resource. SAFe volunteers and fosters work seven days a week covering tasks from keeping the Rescue sanitized and safe, to ensuring that the homeless cats in our care are fed and cared for, to making sure the correct documentation is neatly scanned and filed… And so much more!
Thank you, volunteers!
In March 2020, we closed our doors for a period of time to keep our community safe during the pandemic, but the closure did not stop the wonderful volunteers! We were (and still are) lucky enough to have volunteers finding ways to support SAFe remotely and help keep the Rescue running. When it became safe to return to the rescue with a limited population inside, our volunteers came back as strong as ever. As we continue to increase our onsite population safely in coordination with CDC guidelines, we are looking forward to seeing even more volunteers onsite soon!
Over the course of the last year during the pandemic, SAFe Rescue volunteers have completed a total of 1,570 hours and have maintained a total active population of over 140 volunteers! With the support of volunteers, SAFe Rescue has been able to offer new programs to keep felines and humans safe including the Pet Pantry, remote adoptions, and more. We have also been able to slowly bring back limited volunteer shifts onsite including the return of PM Cat Care and the return of Clean Team. We have seen the return of old friends and we have met new friends, we have seen the return of regular volunteer roles and the creation of new volunteer roles.
Thank you, Fosters!
The work you can see at SAFe Rescue’s tiny storefront is just the tip of the iceberg. Our small but mighty life-saving operation is also possible thanks to all of our foster homes! After closing, we initially weren’t able to house many cats on site and we found our need for foster homes grew immensely. Hundreds of new foster applications came through and we found ourselves overwhelmed with gratitude to have such a caring community that was willing to open their homes and hearts to help the Rescue kitties. Those who take in cats that are too sick, too shy, or too young for adoption have always been crucial to SAFe operations, but the last year has shown more than ever the importance of our foster volunteers. Through it all, the foster community has adapted and become central to every part of our day-to-day work, collaborating with our foster, medical, and adoptions teams to save cats in need. We are so grateful to every member of our foster network. Throughout 2020, 955 cats were housed in 183 foster homes, which is an increase from the 104 foster homes in 2019 – meow-wow! To those who spent the last year taking on more kitty cases, learning new skills, and demonstrating limitless grit and compassion: thank you, thank you, thank you!
You make the Rescue’s work possible!
Our volunteer and foster community has never faltered in their support and commitment to saving homeless cats, even during unprecedented times. Volunteers and fosters, you make it possible to support homeless cats and provide necessary services to our community. Thank you to all who have been a volunteer or foster, past, present and future. We could not do it without you!
