NEW YORK, NY, October 14, 2021 – Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) NY is thrilled to resume its Housecall Program, a core element of the organization through which volunteers provide on-site home visits to clients all over New York City. Visits generally include dog walking, litter maintenance, medication administration, and provision of food and water—and this support helps PAWS NY’s clients, who are older adults and individuals living with illness or disability, continue to care for their pets.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Housecall Program has been on hiatus since March 17, 2020, and during this time, PAWS NY has connected regularly with clients to provide pet food and supplies, coordinate veterinary care, and provide foster care as needed. Additionally, the organization hosted Virtual Volunteer Orientations starting in May 2020, training more than 600 new volunteers over the past 16 months. With the widespread availability of the COVID vaccine, PAWS NY and its board decided to re-open the Housecall Program in August 2021, with the first round of volunteers visiting clients in their homes in September.

“With new evidence-based safety protocols, and constant monitoring of the public health scenario, PAWS NY is so excited to enter into this phased reopening of our Housecall Program,” said PAWS NY Founder and Executive Director, Rachel Herman. “These past 18 months have been tough for all New Yorkers, and our clients are among the most vulnerable. We’re so happy to reunite with them in-person to provide daily pet care needs for their companions.”

In order to bring the Housecall Program back to its full potential, PAWS NY launched a new campaign called “No PAW Left Behind,” with the goal of filling all open client shifts across the organization. As of October 12, there is a need for 413 weekly shifts to support all PAWS NY clients, and 16% have already been filled by current volunteers.

Over the next few weeks, the organization will continue to connect current, former, and new volunteers to clients and their pets, and PAWS NY will expand its outreach to find new volunteers across New York City by connecting with our current partner organizations, neighborhood mutual aid groups, local colleges and universities, and pet stores, groomers, and veterinarians in the city. With 64 current and 32 waitlist clients in all five boroughs of New York City, the organization is asking everyone to help spread the word.

“We hope to reach full capacity as soon as we can, so we can start to onboard individuals who are on our waitlist and in need of our services,” said Carrie Nydick Finch, Deputy Director of Programs and Strategy for PAWS NY. “We can’t do this without the dedication and support of our amazing volunteers who take time out of their busy schedules to help their neighbors and pets in need. We are in awe of their passion and hope to connect every interested volunteer with a client and pet in the near future.”

Individuals who are interested in becoming a PAWS NY volunteer must first attend a Virtual Volunteer Orientation. Visit www.pawsny.org/volunteer to register for one of the upcoming dates:

• Thursday, October 21 at 4:00pm
• Wednesday, November 3 at 4:00pm
• Thursday, November 18 at 5:00pm

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, PAWS NY expects an increase in prospective clients in need of physical and financial support as they care for their pets. The organization will continue to promote the “No PAW Left Behind” campaign until all current client and pet needs have been met and will work to expand our services to new clients across New York City. Please visit our website for more information about PAWS NY and how you can support our work: www.pawsny.org.

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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.

Related Links:
http://www.pawsny.org

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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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