Volunteering
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Humane Society of South Mississippi! With over 300 animals residing in our shelter on a daily basis, we know that it takes a village to care of all of these sweet souls. We know you’re excited to get started in assisting us saving lives right away, but first there are some logistics that we have to get out of the way.
STEP 1: ALL volunteers need to complete a new volunteer application if they have not already done so. This will get you added into our volunteer system where we can easily contact you about volunteer needs, upcoming events, keep up with your service hours, etc.
STEP 2: Complete your $25 application fee by clicking on the “Buy Now” button. This donation includes a HSSM volunteer t-shirt and leash. Both required to volunteer at the shelter.
Step 3: Volunteers must go through an orientation class prior to volunteering on their own. Once you have completed your new volunteer application, a list of orientation dates will be sent to you.
Volunteer Orientations are held here at the shelter located at 2615 25th Ave. in Gulfport and usually last around 45 minutes. ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST REGISTER PRIOR TO ATTENDING ANY ORIENTATION CLASSES. Limited spots are available for each orientation because we want to insure everyone gets the most out of each orientation and questions are not left unanswered. Please RSVP by emailing: volunteer@hssm.org.
STEP 3: Take your training to the next level and attend one of HSSM’s Dog Walking Classes. Yes, we realize that you are an animal lover and have walked many a dogs in your day, but here at HSSM, there are a lot of things to think about and take into account that you may not think about on a daily basis when you’re walking your dog in the neighborhood or at the park. We want to insure that you are the most confident, comfortable and safe you can be when taking out our adoptables to get some fresh air and exercise and that is why ALL volunteers interested in walking dogs MUST GO THROUGH A DOG WALKING CLASS AT HSSM. Classes are held at the shelter located at 2615 25th Ave. in Gulfport and last about an hour.
ALL volunteers are required to have a HSSM volunteer t-shirt and wear a color-coded waist apron. (You will pick up and drop off your waist aprons in the Volunteer Office. Please remember to drop them off at the end of each Volunteer Shift!) Volunteer Shirts are $12.50 for adults and $10.00 for Military/Students. For our newly signed up volunteers, it is also mandatory to sign a waiver before you begin volunteering. We give you all the tools necessary to be successful and safe while on site. This helps acclimate you to our fast-paced environment and also learn your way around. These classes are for your safety and the safety of our animals! Remember to please wear close toed shoes and pants/capris!
Volunteer Level System:
As we grow, we want to make our Volunteer process easy and enjoyable for everyone! To promote safety and to help our new Volunteers get adjusted to the busy shelter life, we have created a color-coded level system for all Volunteers. Each Volunteer will wear a red, yellow or green waist apron, depending on their Volunteer level status. Each waist apron has 3 front pockets which will come in handy for holding pet treats, potty bags and your cell phone for taking shelter pet photos! The aprons will also help staff quickly recognize which volunteers they can assign to various tasks.
Here is a breakdown of our new Volunteer Level System:
RED: New Volunteers (under 20 hours and has attended Orientation Class). No Dog Walking at this level.
YELLOW: Mid-Level Volunteers (when you reach Level Yellow you can sign up for Dog Walking Class).
GREEN: Advanced Volunteers. These are our Volunteer Superstars and they can assist our new volunteers to help them get established.
Red & Yellow Level Volunteers will grab an apron from the Volunteer Office after they sign in for the day. PLEASE sign the apron check out list and please remember to drop your apron off in the Volunteer Office after you sign out for the day.
Green Level Volunteers can keep their aprons.
There will be a list of Volunteer Tasks appropriate for each level on the board outside of the Volunteer Office. Please stop into the Volunteer Office on your next visit to find out your current Volunteer Level. If you have any questions about the new system please email our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@hssm.org.
If you are under age 16 and your parent is not with you supervising the duration of your time at HSSM, you will be asked to leave. NO exceptions!
VOLUNTEERS ARE CURRENTLY NEEDED IN THESE AREAS:
Animal Care; Wellness Clinic; Enrichment; Foster; Adoptions; Thrift Store; Dog Walking
** ALL VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE 20% OFF IN HSSM’s “Barkin’ Basement” THRIFT STORE**
If you have any questions about volunteering at HSSM, please contact:
228-822-3816