Kids donate goodies, help make crafts for pets at Winnipeg Humane Society

Kids volunteer their time at the Winnipeg Humane Society to help furry friends and their families in need. Temi Olatunde reports.

By Temi Olatunde

Kids from across the city spent their Saturday volunteering at the Winnipeg Humane Society for the “Kids Give Back” program.

The Winnipeg kids showed up with a shoe box made with goodies for pets. They then helped make cat and dog toys for families in need this holiday season.

“The kids really love coming here, they get to see all the different animals we have here in the shelter. They get to spend time making crafts with us for the animals – some of them here in the shelter and others we will donate to our local communities,” said Amy Brake, the volunteer service coordinator with the Winnipeg Humane Society.

“And then they get to spend time with some of our dog ambassador friends that are spending time with us today as well.”

Parents were more than happy to have their kids take part in the activity.

“It’s a great opportunity to provide animals with extra presents and food at Christmas,” said mother Jennifer. “And my daughter was very excited for the program. So we made a box full of treats for cats and dropped it off here and now we’re just doing some crafts before we leave.”

A cat is held in someone’s arms at the Winnipeg Humane Society on Nov. 26, 2022. (Credit: CityNews/Temi Olatunde)

Others unable to attend the event still came down to the shelter to drop off their shoe boxes of goodies for the pets.

“A program like this really helps teach kids how important volunteering is,” said Brake. “It teaches them empathy and it teaches them how to give back to their community in a way that maybe they understand.

“So giving back to pets is something exciting for kids. But they’re not just giving back to pets, they’re giving back to families in our community that need our support.”

Brake says the program has helped more than 500 families since its start in 2019. She says there is always need for donations – especially this time of year – and a program like this is very important because it helps keep pets in homes with families, so they don’t end up in the shelters.

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