Hillsborough Pet Shelter Recognized For Rebuilding Volunteer Program

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Like most public pet shelters across the country, the volunteer program at Hillsborough County Pet Resources was decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. For about 18 months, virtually no volunteers were allowed at the Pet Resource Center.

That was a tough situation for a shelter that relies heavily on citizen participation and support for the 15,000 dogs and cats it takes in each year. To make matters worse, once the volunteer program resumed after a year and a half, only 25 volunteers returned.

Two years later, the volunteer program has not only survived, but has thrived. Pet resource officials took the opportunity to build a larger and more technologically advanced volunteer program.

In 2022, more than 250 volunteers provided about 14,000 hours of direct care and enrichment for shelter pets.

That effort was recognized last month with the National Association of Counties’ Achievement Award for Building Back a Volunteer Program Post-Pandemic.

Among the accomplishments that led to the award:

• The Pet Resources Center hired a new volunteer coordinator, who met with each section of the Pet Resource Center to assess the number of volunteers who would be needed and what tasks those volunteers would take on.
• The volunteer application and training process was updated and streamlined, resulting in a more efficient, effective training process.
• Improvements were made in disseminating information to volunteers about shelter operations and in recognizing and rewarding volunteers, which increased volunteer retention.
• Efforts were made to involve corporate volunteer groups for special shelter group projects and workdays.
• A more diverse group of volunteers was recruited, including those from the MacDonald Training Center and the Pepin Academy Transition Program.

The Pet Resource Center is located at 440 N Falkenburg Road, Tampa. To volunteer, click here.