LHS Foster Portal - Foster Community

At LHS, “It takes a village” is a phrase that rings true for our foster program, and why we emphasize our foster community so much! Lifesaving animal shelter work and foster care are not easy; we know it can take a huge toll physically, mentally, and emotionally. Many of us have gone through similar journeys and want to share the victories and the losses with each other. Our foster families are not alone in this journey, we want them to reach out and ask for help and feel supported by staff and fellow fosters. By sharing a load of foster care, sharing our foster stories in an active online community, and strengthening each other through continued learning, together, we’ve made a lifesaving impact. In 2021, for every pet placed in foster homes, we had 1.6 foster placements, meaning a large portion of these pets had more than one foster family caring for them!

To check out what pets need foster there are two main places to look!

Join our Facebook Page! (More information down below)
Sign up to get our E-Blast! (More information down below)
Needs Foster Pet List on our Main Website

Facebook & E-Blast

Please join our Facebook Group, LHS Fosters, to be connected to your community!

Learn about new pets in need of foster care!
Fosters can share photos, videos, ideas, and updates on their foster pets. Form new connections with other fosters.
Program updates, announcements, upcoming community events, and adoption specials
Celebrate recent foster graduates!
Tune in for live videos with LHS staff.
Stay updated on training resources, videos, and webinars to keep learning!

The Annual Kitten Shower

During kitten season LHS takes in dozens of kittens each day, and we need lots of loving foster homes to give these homeless kittens a place to grow and thrive. Because of our foster program, LHS can save hundreds of kittens each year!

Hosted anytime between May and June, LHS throws an annual kitten shower to celebrate our fostering community! Join us and soak up the joy kittens bring us all, and learn how you can help kittens too! Participate in games, crafts, trivia, Q&A, demonstrations and more!

Check out the Facebook Group for upcoming events!

Volunteer Opportunities

Do you Want to volunteer at the Lynchburg Humane Society? Click Here To Learn More!

Below are some ways to get involved with the foster department! To qualify you must be at least 16 years old, have a love for pets, and a desire to help. After filling out the appropriate applications below, you will complete a digital orientation and sign up for a First Day Tour Shift to meet the Volunteer Coordinator, receive your Volunteer Lanyard, take a tour of the building, and ask any questions you may have before beginning. (If you are unable to see a First Day Tour Shift, it is just because your application has not been reviewed yet!)

Volunteer Roles - No foster experience required:

Weighing Kittens

Do you love interacting with kittens? We weigh kittens every day to ensure they are healthy and gaining! We would always love more hands to assist with this!
- 1. - Time: Anytime
    - Location: Onsite

Supply Volunteer

- The Foster Team is looking for volunteers to help keep supplies stocked and neat in the foster office! During kitten season the Foster Team has appointments all day and it is extremely helpful to have supplies ready for Foster Parents!
  1. - - Time: Morning (8 AM - 10 AM) or Evenings (5 PM - 6 PM)
      - Location: Onsite

Pet Care/Cleaning Volunteer

Do you love cleaning? Would you like to use your cleaning skills to save some tiny lives? Because kittens are so fragile, our fosters are required to fully decontaminate their kitten space between litters - and sometimes they need help! We’re looking for volunteers to join and help fosters clean and sanitize their kitten supplies and space, so they can open their homes ASAP to new kittens. No animal experience is necessary for this role - just a positive attitude and commitment to following LHS's sanitation protocols!
- - - Time: Morning (8 AM - 11 AM) or Evenings (5 PM - 7 PM)
    - Location: Onsite

Foster Data Entry

- Are you detail-oriented and wanna know the administrative side of our organization? We are looking for data entry volunteers who may be able to help enter exams and or work on od document records keeping in our shelter software!
  - - Time: Morning (8 AM - 11 AM) or Evenings (5 PM - 7 PM)
    - Location: Onsite

Volunteer Roles - Experience required:

Bottle Baby Feeder

Do you love interacting with kittens? Come in and help feed neonate kittens! We will provide specific training, but preference will be given to fosters with hands-on experience.
- - Time: Anytime (check and see if we have bottle babies at that time)
  - Location: Onsite

Foster Mentor (In the works)

Do you know a lot about fostering but maybe not have the time? Do you enjoy working with people and want to help save lives? Maybe this is a role for you! Foster mentors would help train other fosters on proper kitten care and kitten feed techniques through email, phone calls, zoom, etc.
Foster Mentors would complete set courses by Maddies Fund picked out by LHS. Once all courses are completed they will be able to start mentoring new foster! Experience is needed to be a Foster Mentor, and to be a virtual mentor the volunteer would need to have a reliable internet connection and a reliable, working deceive to be able to talk to fosters in need.
- - Time: Flexible (Available via email or text/phone or Zoom/Video Chat)
  - Location: Offsite/Remote

Page updated

Report abuse