The humane society helps animals in need in many ways, including giving them a chance to find a forever home. Through volunteers and staff members, thousands of animals are given shelter, food, and lots of love.

 The Humane Society of Central Illinois gets a variety of different kinds of animals which include: kittens, adult cats, puppies, adult dogs, and an assortment of small animals like bunnies or guinea pigs.

 “On average we get about a thousand animals each year but we only have a little over a 100 animals in the building at a time,” said Andrea Coimbra, from the Humane Society of Central Illinois. “We cycle through the animals pretty quickly, especially the puppies and kittens.”

 Without volunteers, the Humane Society would struggle and not run as smoothly as it has for the past couple years. Potential volunteers are required to take the beginners course, which introduces what will be done as a volunteer and where the different animals and all of their necessities are located in the building. It also covers how to treat the animals and what to do when something goes wrong.

 “We get a lot of people who come and take the class, they typically only come in once or twice after that,” Andrea added. “We only have 20-30 volunteers who stick with it and keep coming in actively to help out with the animals and the cleaning.”

 “If I had more time I would definitely volunteer and help in any way that I could,” said Hailey Hampton (11). “I think it’s a great cause and is really important.”

 The volunteer program is fairly easy to get involved with and be a part of. But there are other ways that are helpful, for example donating money or adopting a pet from the Humane Society instead of buying one from a breeder or pet store.

 “As a dog lover, I would prefer to adopt and save an animal rather than buy one from a separate breeder or pet store,” said Mr. Bierbaum, a social studies teacher from Normal West. “I think adopting and supporting the Humane Society is very important.”

Various events are held at and through the Humane Society. They use these events to raise money for the animals and other needs of running the facility.

 An important fundraising event they hold two times a year is a bake sale. Typically volunteers make treats and spend a Saturday from 9:30 am to 4 pm selling their treats. All the money  goes right back to the Humane Society. The bake sales are scheduled for February 13, 2016 and May 7, 2016.

 Another event they hold are Pet Outreaches which are held at Petco. At this event volunteers and staff members bring a few dogs from the shelter who are looking for forever homes to Petco and answer questions about the adoption process, as well as discussing pet needs. The upcoming dates for the Pet Outreaches are February 7, 2016 and March 6, 2016.

There are countless ways to help with the humane society. Whether it’s volunteering your time to help the animals and keep their areas clean, donating money through the various events, adopting an animal, or just spreading the word of what they’re doing and how others can help too.