By Maddie Aicher, Volunteer Coordinator

Even though 2021 was not the year we had hoped for when it came to the state of the pandemic, our volunteers pushed through to help us with yet another incredible year of saving lives. Throughout the year, many of our programs were able to reopen, and with those changes came an outpouring of support from our amazing volunteers, who were with us each step of the way.

• The monetary value of volunteer hours in 2021 was equivalent to $3,697,950donated through volunteerism! The monetary value of our volunteer hours is based off of minimum wage– $15/hour.
• After reopening our Getting Started Orientation in October, 280 new volunteers joined Animal Friends’ Volunteer Corps.
• Our volunteers were as dedicated as ever, donating over 246,530 hours of service to our organization.
• A total of 301 full-time volunteers were joining us monthly on campus by the end of 2021. The Human Animal Support Services Volunteer Model defines full-time volunteers as any volunteer who donates six or more hours a month.
• 533 Animals were placed with volunteer foster families during 2021 and 35 turned into adoptions!
• Volunteers helped us care for, socialize and enrich the lives of almost 1,500 animals –1,369 of whom found their new families during 2021.

We’d like to thank each and every one of our volunteers for their service this past year. We are incredibly thankful and grateful for their heroism, their selflessness and the time they donate to our organization.