Rescue & Thrift Shop Volunteer FAQs
How old do I have to be to volunteer at the HSYC?
All volunteers must be 18 years of age.
If I am a volunteer, can I bring my child along with me?
For safety purposes, all volunteers must be a minimum of 18 years of age.
I need to complete court-order or other required community service.
Can I do this through the volunteer program?
No. Our volunteer program will not provide you with the necessary hours documentation.
There may be an opportunity to complete community service hours at the shelter however.
For this information, please email our shelter manager: contact@humanesocietyofyorkcounty.org.
How do I get started as a Volunteer?
Complete the 3 step process on the Volunteer tab.
2—Pay the registration fee
3—Email our Volunteer Committee to learn about the next available dates for New Volunteer Orientation
Are there additional requirements to volunteer?
You will need to be able to join our closed HSYC Volunteer Facebook page.
This is where ALL of our volunteer communication takes place.
You will also need to follow all safety protocols whenever volunteering in the shelter.
Is there a dress code for volunteers? Yes.
On your first volunteer session after New Volunteer Orientation, you will receive your volunteer tee shirt. This must be visibly worn any time you volunteer in any capacity, on-site or off-site.
Additional shirts can be purchased if needed.
We ask that our volunteers wear close-toed shoes, pants or long shorts with pockets for phone, keys, treats, etc.
We also ask that you leave personal items like hats, purses, over size sunglasses, etc. locked in your car and pocket your keys.
My schedule is unpredictable and I can’t guarantee availability. Can I still volunteer?
Yes! We need help every day to care for our shelter, and we offer general volunteer hours from 9:00—11:00 am every day of the week.
If you would like to become an animal handler, either walking dogs or handling cats, these areas do require a minimum number of hours commitment (6) per month, and so may not always be the best fit, but we do still have lots of other volunteer opportunities.
This is so each animal handling volunteers can stay in touch with the animals we have, as well as current safety protocols for the animals.
I used to volunteer, but it has been awhile. What do I have to do to get started again?
This will really depend on how long you volunteered before and how long it has been since you were last into the shelter. For safety reasons, it is imperative that anyone inside our shelter is trained and knows what to do and where to be. If it has been a significant amount of time since you volunteered, or if you came to orientation a while ago and have never been in to volunteer, you may need to go through orientation again and complete general service hours to make sure you have all the information you need to start, and that the staff knows you and you them.
If you have further questions on this, please email our volunteer coordinator: volunteer@humanesocietyofyorkcounty.org.
Can the Humane Society of York County accommodate volunteer groups?
The inside of our shelter is very small, making group volunteering difficult to accommodate. However, many groups will conduct supply drives for our shelter which are always incredibly helpful!
Please see our website for a current list of items the shelter can always use.
PAWSibilities Thrift Shop Volunteer Opportunities:
Age restriction as noted above applies.
No community service opportunities at the Thrift Shop.
Interested in helping on site, please stop in the shop during open hours and ask for a Volunteer Form, fill out an application and leave it onsite. A store lead will contact you to discuss potential opportunities.
