How to Help
Supporting animals and the people who love them across Berks County truly takes a village, and we welcome you to be a part of our growing community of animal advocates who are changing lives every single day! If you are looking to get involved at ARL, here are some of the many ways you can help us right now.
Foster
When animals arrive at the shelter who need special care in a home environment, we call upon foster caregivers to provide a temporary and loving home for these animals until they can find their forever homes. Fostering is both rewarding and challenging, and is one of the most important programs at ARL. Because of our foster caregivers, we are able to provide individualized care and love to the population of animals that need it the most. These volunteers truly make our lifesaving work possible. Click here to learn more about our foster program!
Volunteer
Helping our animals, our staff, and our community, volunteers are an essential part of the caregiving work that we do at the ARL. Through generous contributions of time and talent, volunteers allow our animals to receive daily exercise and enrichment and assist our staff with their daily duties. Click here to see the available volunteer roles at ARL!
Adopt
With the ARL experiencing high volumes of animals coming through our doors and slower adoption rates in recent times, adopting is an absolutely critical contribution to our mission. By providing a loving home to a shelter pet, you are not only changing the life of that animal, but you are also freeing up space and resources within the shelter and allowing us to help more animals in crisis. Click here to learn more about the adoption process at ARL!
Donate
Since we receive no federal, state or county support, and very little municipal support, almost all of our budget is funded from people just like you. Each day, your dollars are used to help hundreds of animals receive necessary medical care, nutritious food, a comfy and safe place to sleep, and lots of love from our attentive staff and volunteers. Learn more about making a donation today here.
Along with monetary gifts to the shelter, donating in-kind items and supplies allows us to offset the cost of everyday supplies around the shelter. Items such as toys, food, peanut butter and spray cheese, and linens are always very much needed and appreciated! You can check out our wish list here.
Advocate
There are so many easy ways to advocate for ARL! First, you can share our available pets on social media. You can do this by browsing our website and sharing a pet’s information amongst your contacts, or you can follow us on social media and simply share our adoptable posts. You can also share our upcoming events and recent blog posts to spread the word about ARL’s mission and how others can share their support.
Above all, never underestimate the power of word of mouth. If you know someone who is looking for a new pet or resources offered by ARL, encourage them to check us out and learn more about our services. Also, by letting your friends and family know how they can support the shelter, you can empower them to be a part of the ARL’s village. Together, we can help make the shelter a better place for animals and their caregivers every day!
