Volunteer

Thank You For Visiting Our Volunteer Page!

PARL is always happy to have new volunteers join our team to assist and support the staff and animals here at the shelter. We hope that you have the time and desire to share your skills and compassion with us and look forward to meeting you!

Who Can Volunteer?

Some volunteer positions have minimum age, skill, and commitment requirements to ensure the safety of the volunteer, animals, visitors, staff, and other volunteers. Specific information on requirements for each volunteer position can be found on the following pages. Mentors or parents/guardians of prospective volunteers with special needs should contact the Community Outreach Manager directly at mmachnik@parl.org to discuss possibilities. If you have community service requirements to fulfill for school or court, please continue reading for more information.

Yes, I Want To Help! How Do I Start?

Thank you very much for your interest in volunteering with the Providence Animal Rescue League! If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering with PARL, please join us at one of our upcoming Information Sessions. The Information Session is the first step towards volunteering with PARL. At the Information Session you will learn about PARL and how you can become part of our team. When you download an application (located at the bottom of this page), please mark off the date that you will be able to attend.

Upcoming Information Sessions:

None listed at this time. We will begin scheduling again in the new year.
Volunteer Information Sessions will be held at PARL on 34 Elbow Street and will last for approximately one hour. Please plan accordingly. You will not be contacted prior unless there is a cancellation. Any questions? Contact our Community Outreach Manager.
Please note: You will only need to attend ONE of these sessions, as they all cover the same information. Also, you can attend ANY Information Session, regardless of which location you choose for volunteering. Please plan to arrive five minutes early to sign in. Sessions start PROMPTLY at their scheduled time. Please do not arrive for an information session unless you have already submitted a Volunteer Application and indicated you will be attending.

Volunteer Positions at 34 Elbow Street

For hands-on volunteer positions at PARL- such as for morning animal care, PARL Shelter Support, etc.- we are looking for volunteers who will commit to one shift each week for two to four hours per shift, for at least six months. Because of the amount of training that goes into preparing volunteers for these positions, this minimum time commitment is required. Volunteers who are most successful in these hands-on positions are able to work independently, are self starting, motivated, and can easily ask questions when needed.

The orientation and training process for these positions generally takes a month to complete, or a bit longer. After training, the prospective volunteer is considered "In Training" for the first month of independent volunteering (one month is equal to 4 shifts at two to four hours per shift). At the end of a volunteer's "In Training" month, we hold a review to determine if volunteer placement is mutually beneficial.

To volunteer within the shelter, volunteers need to be at least 16 (18 for some programs). The minimum age applies even if a parent/guardian would be willing to come with the child. No exceptions are allowed. However, that does not close the door on young people wanting to volunteer! Please check out "What Can I Do to Help as a Volunteer?" to learn about ways that young people can be involved with PARL.

When Do You Need Volunteers?

Volunteer schedules vary by position. In general, hands-on shelter volunteer positions may be available every day of the week between 8am and 4pm. If you are interested in finding out if there is a position that matches your schedule, please attend an Information Session. Proceed to the bottom of this page for the dates and times of our upcoming Information Sessions.

Fulfilling Community Service Requirements

If you are required by your school, church, or other community group (excluding court-ordered service) to fulfill community service requirements, it is VERY important that you contact us well in advance of your deadline (two months or more, depending on the number of hours required). We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate requests to fulfill community service hours, but we will do our best with the resources we have available. You will need to attend a prospective volunteer Information Session.

Court-Mandated Community Service

When available, PARL does offer volunteer service hours to court mandated volunteers. As with regular community service, it is VERY important that you contact us well in advance of your deadline (two months or more, depending on the number of hours required). Contacting us well in advance will give you a greater chance to be able to fulfill your hours with us, however we cannot guarantee hours. All court mandated community service volunteers must attend an Information Session and provide:
• Court documentation of offense;
• Number of hours to be completed;
• Deadline for completion; and
• Supervisor/Probation Officer/Court contact information.

Please note: The crime must have been completed while applicant was over the age of 18, and the reason for required hours must NOT pertain to the following:
• Theft
• Drugs
• Violence
• Animal Abuse
• Sexual Offense
• Manslaughter/Murder
Court mandated community service volunteers will be placed, when possible, in one of the following areas: Grounds keeping (weeding, raking, etc.), indoor maintenance (cleaning glass, mopping, sweeping, dusting, etc.), and other special projects when available. Court ordered community service volunteers will not be placed in positions working with the animals or visitors.

What Can I Do To Help As A Volunteer?

Listed below are all of the current PARL volunteer positions. Please check back frequently to find out about new volunteer opportunities!
Please Note: At this time, we are not offering any positions that work directly with our dogs. We are in the process of developing an animal enrichment department with new animal-related volunteer programs. This will most likely not begin until the new year. An announcement will be made on our website and e-newsletters. Stay posted if working with our dogs is something that you would like to do in the future.

Foster Care

There will be two upcoming Foster Care Information Sessions on March 29th and April 14th. Please indicate which one you are able to attend when filling out the Foster Care Application below.
Minimum Age: For everyone! Primary foster parent(s) must be 18 years or older, however, children are very welcome to assist with foster care when safe and appropriate. Primary foster parent must have transportation.
Commitment Level: You choose! You can decide to foster anywhere from two weeks to two months or more. And you can choose to foster just one time or many, many times.
Availability:Download a Foster Care Application located at the bottom of this page.
Do you love the antics of kittens but don't want your own cat to have a litter? Do you have a soft spot for shy or senior animals? Foster parenting might be for you!
Foster parents usually care for animals too young to be placed immediately up for adoption. Most of our fostering needs are temporary homes for litters of kittens. Some litters will have a mother, while some will need to be bottle fed. Some kittens will only need a week or two of foster care, while some may need as long as eight weeks before they are ready for adoption.
Our foster parents help PARL save hundreds of lives each year. If you want to be a part of this tremendous opportunity to make a difference in the life of an animal in need, download a Foster Care Application located at the bottom of this page.

Organizing Projects, Fundraisers/"Friendraisers and Promotion Distribution

Minimum Age: For everyone!
Commitment Level: You choose!
Availability: Always available!
The animals in our community need lots of friends and support to improve their health, safety, and welfare, as well as to help homeless animals find their forever homes. Your creativity and energy can make a tremendous difference to animals in need.
Collecting Wish List items is a very popular and easy way to make an immediate difference for PARL. You may also choose to work towards increasing awareness in our community of PARL and animal welfare. Possible focal points include promoting animals currently available for adoption at PARL, encouraging people to spay/neuter their animals, alerting people to the services that PARL provides, and much more!
If you would be interested in organizing a project to benefit PARL, please contact Community Outreach Manager, Megan Machnik at mmachnik@parl.org to get started.

Day Time Shelter Helpers

Minimum Age: 16 years or older
Commitment Level: Long-term (6+ months, one shift a week)
Availability: Varies. Attend an Information Session to find out more.
Shelter helpers assist the staff with a variety of tasks. Responsibilities will vary depending on PARL's needs, but can include general cleaning, laundry, dishes, photocopying, putting away donations, etc.

Morning Animal Caregiver

Minimum Age: 16 years or older
Commitment Level: Long-term (6+ months, one shift a week)
Availability: Varies. Attend an Information Session to find out more.
Morning Animal Caregivers maintain cleanliness and perform a variety of jobs that help make the adoption centers a comfortable and healthy place for the animals and the public. Animal caregivers specialize in working with one type of animal- cats, dogs or small animals (small animal caregivers are needed in Springfield only). Tasks can include cleaning cages, feeding/watering, doing laundry and dishes, and general cleaning. Animal caregivers must be comfortable working around and cleaning animal waste; must be able to bend, stoop and lift awkward objects.

Petsmart Cat Caretaker

Minimum Age: 18 years or older
Commitment Level: Long-term (6+ months, one shift a week)
Availability: Varies. Attend an Information Session to find out more.
PetSmart Cat Caretakers help to increase the adoptability of PARL’s cats by providing socialization and one-on-one attention. Ensure that individual cat cages remain clean and welcoming for visitors. Assist the public that have general questions about the adoption process.

Office Assistant

Minimum Age: 16+, 18 years or older preferred
Commitment Level: Long-term (6+ months, one shift a week)
Availability: Varies. Attend an Information Session to find out more.
Current project needs are as follows:
• Database projects: must be fluent in Word and Excel
• Data entry: speed and accuracy are critical
In general, office volunteers must be able to come into the shelter center- work cannot be done at home. Hours for office volunteers are flexible, bet are generally weekdays only between 9am and 4pm.

Thank you for your interest in helping the animals at PARL. We look forward to working with you!