The holiday season is not just about gift-giving and festive gatherings. It’s also about remembering those who are less fortunate, including homeless pets who are still waiting on their forever home. Of course, to help local homeless pets, we have to focus our efforts on Connecticut Shoreline shelters and rescues. Following are our top tips for holiday giving in the CT Shoreline.
Holiday Giving: Monetary Donations
Keeping in mind that donations to 501(C) (3) organizations are usually tax-deductible, December is a great time to donate before filing 2023’s taxes. By donating to a local shelter or rescue like All the Single Kitties in Old Saybrook and Valley Shore Animal Welfare League in Westbrook, you are ensuring these organizations can keep their operations going to save countless area animals.
When considering monetary donations to animal shelters and rescues, do your due diligence. Choose registered organizations that can provide receipts for tax purposes. Check into their practices to ensure that their practices meet your personal and ethical objectives. And, feel free to call their administration to learn more. Especially for significant contribution amounts, many rescues and shelters offer donor perks, memorials, etc.
It’s always a great idea to establish a relationship with a local shelter or rescue and make contributions regularly. By directing your monetary donations to one specific organizations not only do you help the achieve their goals, you also make it simple for yourself and your tax professional at tax time.
Holiday Giving: Item Donations
Another great way to support local animal rescues and shelters is to make item donations. Many rescues have wish lists on their websites that link to Chewy or Amazon. In less than five minutes, you can make a gift that will ensure the organization has enough food, bowls, leashes, etc. to meet increased surrenders, which are common after the holidays.
If you have pet products, unexpired medicine, excess supplies, etc. at home, consider stopping by a local shelter or rescue to brighten their day with your surplus pet items. As we all know, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure so always call your local shelters before getting rid of soft furnishings like blankets and towels. Many unwanted home items are valuable to shelters around the holidays and during the peak winter season.
The less money that shelters and rescues have to spend on day-to-day items, the more money they can use for heating, cooling, lighting, grounds maintenance, etc. Most shelters have limited budgets and increasing costs, especially with such high inflation rates, therefore every little bit counts.
Holiday Giving: Time Donations
Many of us forget how easy it can be to use our most flexible asset, time, for the benefit of local animal rescues and shelters. Most local pet advocacy organizations are volunteer-based; they count on the generosity of local residents to care for the pets they take in.
If you have older teens, time off, or excess vacation time, consider becoming a volunteer and helping to walk dogs, play with kitties, socialize pets, and work on projects around the grounds. In addition, many home-based organizations need remote volunteers to help with projects including marketing, PR, social media, grant-writing, etc. Have some talents that can help your local rescue? Put them to good use by volunteering your time this holiday season. Some projects take only a few hours but can represent a huge relief to overrun, overworked shelters and their workers/volunteers.
We are taking limited appointments between mid to late December. To book your pet care appointments, please log in to your client profile. If you are new to Shoreline Happy Paws and would like to discuss your pet care needs, please create an account but note that our services may not be available for new clients until 2024.
Shoreline Happy Paws serves the following areas of the Connecticut Shoreline:
- Old Saybrook
- Essex, Ivoryton & Centerbrook
- Deep River
- Chester
- Westbrook
- Clinton
- Old Lyme
- East Lyme
- Niantic
Certain Parts and Certain Service Hours in:
- Lyme and Madison
- Waterford, New London, Groton
- Uncasville, Gales Ferry, Mystic, Noank
