The DeKalb County Animal Coalition Shelter held its first volunteer orientation/training meeting last week on the road to becoming better equipped to handle the workload the facility has been processing since opening just three months prior.
Led by Amy Kitchen, one of the most seasoned volunteers the shelter has working for it currently, 16 local residents signed up to volunteer and learn more about the program which has been put on temporary hold until volunteer coordinators can step in and handle the day-to-day volunteer logistics which has been putting a strain on full-time director Megan Moore and part-time assistant James Wilkerson.
“For us to just open the doors and it be operating like any other comparable shelter is far-fetched,” Kitchen told the group. “If we’re going to have a successful volunteer program, we’re going to have to do it ourselves and get organized."
Kitchen continued, "We’ve got some people who know what to do, but we don’t have anyone who is overseeing the volunteers to make sure the jobs are getting done and to see if people are showing up and to schedule and organize the overall responsibilities.”
Kitchen said the staff (Moore and Wilkerson) have been working seven days a week since the shelter opened and don’t have the time resources to drop what they’re doing to train volunteers who may or may not show up when the tasks that they need training on are happening. Sometimes, with good intentions, volunteers will show up unexpectedly further complicating the issue.
The group learned about aspects they might not otherwise have known about the DeKalb shelter. One, is the shelter is a low-kill facility. This means they don’t take in animals and euthanize them to make room for more animals, making it a limited intake shelter. Any animal that is euthanized is due to the animal being injured to such an extent as to make it more humane for the animal to be put down.
Secondly, the shelter operates as a non-profit so the fees are based on what it costs to get the animals ready for adoption. For some it’s flea treatment and others it includes shots and spay or neutering. Since they opened, the shelter has been running at full capacity and has provided forever homes at about the rate of one animal per day. This is why public awareness is so important to the process, and that folks know what the shelter is all about.
Events like the adoption special at Tractor Supply this past weekend can help raise awareness and get more animals into good homes.
There’s no veterinarian on staff at the clinic which some residents are not aware as they receive calls for animals who have been injured. There are no animal control officers working from the shelter either which doesn’t have the authority to out and collect animals that may be in inhumane situations. This is handled through the local law enforcement agencies currently.
Kitchen told the group safety is paramount in the volunteer program and taking ownership of what you do as a volunteer should be a top concern.
Although they have started out with adult volunteers, they are collecting names of youths and groups of school-aged children who want to help. The biggest holdup currently is the lack of coordinators the group hopes will be rectified through community awareness and holding classes like this one.
If you’re interested in helping out, there is a second orientation scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22, at City Hall located on the second floor beginning at 6 p.m. You can also call the shelter at 615-597-1363 or email DACShelter@gmail.com.
The group is working on networking with local businesses who might want to sponsor the facility. Any business can contact the shelter and any help would be appreciated. From donations of food, funds or supplies they are thankful for any and all help.
