NEW YORK, May 21, 2020 – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY is offering Virtual Volunteer Orientations via Google Meet, allowing interested individuals to learn more about the organization and participate as a volunteer in the future. Upcoming Virtual Volunteer Orientations will be held on Thursday, May 28, Wednesday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 23, and interested individuals can register for these events via Eventbrite.

“Volunteers are the backbone of our organization, and we rely on our extensive and committed network to carry out our important work,” said Rachel Herman, PAWS NY Founder and Executive Director. “By offering our Volunteer Orientations online, we can continue to train and connect with volunteers who will be ready to jump into action as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

All potential volunteers must go through orientation, and then can get connected with any of PAWS NY’s volunteer opportunities:

• Housecall Program: provide care for a client’s pet in their home, such as dog walking or helping with the litter box
• Pet Pantry/On-Call Program: collect/distribute pet food/supplies, become a Pet Pantry Sponsor, transport pets to the vet, and other one-off client needs
• Foster Care: foster an animal in your home when a client is hospitalized
• Events and Outreach: assist at events and help to raise awareness for our mission
• Professional Expertise: offer your unique professional skills to help grow our organization

On March 17, PAWS NY suspended its in-person Housecall Program, in order to protect the health of its clients and volunteers during this crisis. The organization will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on New York City as it makes decisions about the program, and will work to prepare a group of new volunteers to help in the future.

“Through the NYC COVID-19 Pet Hotline, we’re hearing from hundreds of New Yorkers every week who are concerned about their pets during this crisis,” said Program Director Carrie Nydick Finch, who serves as PAWS NY’s representative on city-wide pet programs. “When lockdown restrictions are lifted, we expect to hear from potential new clients who have heard about our services in recent months. These Virtual Orientations will allow us to train and prepare a strong team of volunteers ready to support them when the time is right.”

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About PAWS NY

The mission of PAWS NY is to help New York City’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs and services through a community of partners and volunteers. Our programs help keep pets in their homes while protecting and promoting the human-animal bond that is so physically and psychologically valuable to our clients.  Thus, our motto: helping people by helping pets. To learn more, visit www.pawsny.org.

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