LAURINBURG — For Friday’s United Way Day of Caring, the Scotland County Humane Society will enlist volunteers who can weed a garden, walk dogs, and take fetching photographs of charismatic critters.
The humane society is one of a dozen nonprofit organizations which will source a day’s worth of labor through the annual United Way effort to help local charities not only with funding, but with manpower as well.
Three projects are scheduled for the day at the J.D. and Fran Asher Animal Shelter. A few volunteers will work to take pictures of adoptable animals, fitting them with becoming accessories and working to snap the perfect shot.
According to Kathy Wallace, the humane society’s rescue coordinator, photographs are essential in the shelter’s efforts to find its animals new homes as many dogs are spotted online by rescues and adopters outside of the county.
“The photos are extremely important,” she said. “If we can get just the right pose sometimes, just the right look — if you can get a photo that reaches out to people and speaks to them, they’ll share it on social media.”
The shelter will have a cat room set up with props and toys to encourage felines to strike a playful pose. Photos will be posted on websites like petango and petfinder as well as the humane society’s website and Facebook.
Another set of volunteers will be assigned to combat with the vines and weeds that have overtaken the azalea garden in front of the shelter. Those assisting with that project should bring their own tools.
Volunteers can also spend a leisurely few hours walking dogs and giving them a chance to exercise outside their kennels.
By bringing new people into the shelter to interact with the animals, Wallace hopes that the effort will give those animals a new champion and maybe even a new home.
“People are going to meet these dogs and walk them and connect with them, and we hope they are going to talk about them.”
Other Day of Caring projects include planting a fruit orchard in the Washington Park area, framing a Habitat for Humanity home, and painting the Scotland County Senior Games shuffleboard court. More than 150 volunteers will participate in all of the day’s projects.
Day of Caring will kick off with breakfast at 8 a.m. on Friday at the Laurinburg Presbyterian Church. For information or to sign up to volunteer, contact Debbie Grant at 276-6064.
Mary Katherine Murphy can be reached at 910-506-3169.