Volunteer / Community Service Opportunities

We could not have provided as many caring homes without first acknowledging the tremendous work of our volunteers. As an all-volunteer non-profit agency, our volunteers devote countless hours to providing foster care, direct care at our transitional shelters, adoption counseling at our Kitty City Adoption Center, and the volunteers who man the phones, edit the newsletter, The Wanderer, update our webpages and provide administrative support. We thank our volunteers who developed two films on SPIN’s adoption policies and programs.

SPIN TRANSITION HOUSE

Contact: tiwat@aol.com or 781-235-1218

• Construction, repairs, yard work, snow plowing and other needs for our new SPIN home. List of tasks available for willing volunteers.

Add ventilation to attic
Point chimneys
Caps on chimneys
The wood wall in driveway needs to be cut back and replace with non-wood product to prevent insect problems
Frame of garage door needs to be replaced, rot and carpenter ants on base of one corner. Again replace with non-wood product to prevent future problem.
Wood frame of window needs repair
Seal cracks foundation
Strip just above garage needs some work
Add railing along retaining wall at driveway
Electric garage door opener. If still not working does, anyone know who is knowledgeable about them.
Add railing to deck steps
Secure stove
Know any furnace people? Maybe someone can look at possible re connecting furnace in basement so there is heat down there.
Open gypsum under basement steps for more ventilation

• Need for direct care at SPIN’s Transition Home. Sign up for one shift a week either morning, afternoon or evening by emailing tiwat@aol.com or 781-235-1218
• We need help Picking up Laundry, empty boxes for litter trays, donated supplies and cat food. Pick up at Kitty
• City Adoption Center at Pet World and dropping them off at our new Transition home in Natick.
• We need help cleaning cages at Kitty City Adoption Center at Pet World, especially mornings – weekdays and weekends – must be age 16 and up.
• We need foster homes for mom cats and kittens (sometimes dogs and other critters).
• We need help on occasion with stuffing envelopes or making pet disaster kits to hand out at events.

SPIN VOLUNTEER UPDATE – October 2014

We have some wonderful volunteers who come weekly and some who come twice a month on a regular basis, but with change of season it is time to recruit old volunteers and new ones to help fill in the needs of the cats which need care 3 times a day/7 days a week.

The morning crew does the most cleaning of cages, feeding, changing food bowls and some pat and purr, spending 2 hours at the shelter. They generally come in sometime between 8am and 11am.  Most weekday mornings are covered by regular volunteers.  We are looking for help particularly Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays… either every week or alternate weeks.

The afternoons is pat and purr time, to get the shy cats comfortable to come out & play and using the can food to entice them to trust people again.  Lots of quiet time sitting, holding, talking to and patting the cats.  This is great activity for students to get community service hours.  Although since we have no paid staff to supervise, the kids need an adult who will hang out while the kids do the work.  Some parents will participate with the kids socializing the cats, other parents with older students will read a book or work on the computer in the living room while the kids get to socialize the cats.

For college students away from home this could be a way of getting their kitty fix during the week!

There are many Evening opportunities available  (1 to 2 hours between 6pm – 8pm) to come in and spot clean the cages and give the evening food & water to the cats, then more time to play with the cats to help socialize the shy ones and let the young ones out to play & run up and down the scratching posts.

So if you are already a SPIN volunteer who hasn’t been in for a while, please check the schedule board and sign up for a day/time. If you are new to volunteering, we can set up a time to spend about an hour on orientation.  Then you can come in to shadow a seasoned volunteer and when you feel comfortable, you can sign up for an open shift as your schedule permits.

Thanks for all of your help and please pass this on to other cat lovers you know nearby who are looking to help the stray animals!
– Sue Webb, SPIN – Stray Pets In Need of Mass. Inc.

The SPIN transition house located at 5 Overbrook Terrace, Natick, MA ( just off Rt. 9 at the Wellesley-Natick line).