Maria is a special volunteer – she generally doesn’t step foot inside the Adoption Center but her contributions help out the animals anyway! Maria loves to sew so she creates some great items for us. We often are in need of belly bands for some of our male dogs and Maria provides those when we need them. Not to leave out the kitties, she also sews small fleece cat blankets to ensure our kitties are comfy and cozy while waiting for their forever homes.

Jupiter Sporting One of Maria’s Bandanas

Maria also contributes by making “Adopt Me” bandanas and leash covers with her embroidery machine. We use these at adoption events and fundraisers. In addition to all the sewing, Maria has put together baskets for the silent auctions at our fundraisers like Barks & Brew to generate donations.

Besides all of this, Maria also volunteers for another animal welfare organization that generously shares their animal supplies if they have excess (for instance, sharing food so that it doesn’t spoil and go to waste). She makes sure these supplies get to the Adoption Center for the benefit of our cats and dogs.

When asked why she likes volunteering for Last Hope she said because Last Hope allows her to spend time sewing items with good friends and meet new and amazing people who care about animals. She also wanted to add, “I would like to invite everyone to volunteer. No matter what you do, no matter if you go physically to Last Hope, no matter how many hours a week you can volunteer you can find a small activity that REALLY makes a difference. You can help the staff, contribute to an event, and help animals in need. Please volunteer! We need more volunteers because helping animals takes lots of people and time!”

Volunteering can look different than what you normally think of. We’re lucky to have Maria and the many contributions that she does mainly from home!