With the holiday season fast approaching, you may be looking for ways to share your blessings and make the best use of your time and energy from your off-days at work. One important cause to support is animal sanctuaries. These non-profit organizations save hundreds of thousands of stray or abandoned pets and illegally poached and trafficked wildlife every year. Here are three ways to help the cause and ensure their continued work.

Foster or Adopt

Adoption is a better way of getting a pet versus buying it from a pet store or breeder. This holiday season, adopting a four-legged friend from a kill shelter means you are saving an animal from being euthanized. However, if you are not ready for a long-term commitment, fostering is a good alternative. Fostering a pet during the holidays means they get to spend time with you and your family in a larger space rather than in small confinement. While animal sanctuaries do their best to ensure animals are taken care of at the highest standards, resources, including space and staff attention, are limited.

Volunteer for the Season

Many animal rescue organizations and shelters rely on the help of volunteers for a bulk of their labor resources. From menial daily tasks, like cleaning the dogs’ bowls and mats to short walks outside the facility, these chores require the attention of dedicated volunteers. And while not every task will be as joyous as giving pups some much-deserved belly rubs, every action you perform as a volunteer of an animal sanctuary contributes to improving the quality of life of its furry residents.

Donate What You Can

Money is, of course, one of the main resources that animal sanctuaries constantly run out of and need. Monetary donations are used to provide the animals in their care with necessities, including bedding, food, and veterinary services. Aside from money, many pet shelters accept donations in wet/dry dog and cat food, treats, toys, and cleaning products. Your skills may also be something that an animal sanctuary needs, i.e., web design and development to maintain their organization’s website or marketing and fundraising expertise for their outreach and marketing campaigns.

Helping animal sanctuaries is a great way to give back to your local community and help save animal lives. At the very least, you can help raise awareness of what animal sanctuaries need through your social media account/s.