Volunteer Experience: Maryland SPCA

This past weekend, our local office of Sogeti USA volunteered with the Maryland SPCA (3300 Falls Rd.).  As we were day-volunteers, our work was focused on the day-to-day maintenance of individual animal homes (I don’t like the terms ‘crates’ or ‘cages’ in reference to shelter animals).  The volunteer coordinator Katie showed great enthusiasm for our assistance, and gave us a tour through this amazing facility. 
 
A few years ago, hard earned donation and fund-raising enabled the SPCA to update a great deal of its facilities, including the creation of separate ‘Admissions’ and ‘Adoptions’ entrances.  The center recognizes the highly charged emotions that run with both aspects of their necessary facility and through this, they’re able to compassionately deal with owner surrenders and enjoy the enthusiasm of a prospective pet owner.  Katie noted that through the years she’s realized that you cannot really judge unless you’ve walked in another’s shoes.

The volunteer staff are amazing hard workers that efficiently manage the care and maintenance of all of the furry friends that they take in.  Our team put in about three hours of grueling work on Saturday, but we’re humbled to know that although our team of 10 people cut morning prep time roughly in half, this is something that they do 365 days a year.  

There’s so much need from the animals in this shelter, that it was hard to leave!There’s so many ways in which to help out the Maryland SPCA other than animal adoption (in fact, my husband threatened to lock me out of the house if I brought anything living home); donations are accepted via volunteerism, financial donations, and even donation via Amazon.

From the MD SPCA:

The Maryland SPCA receives no funding from the government or ASPCA. The MD SPCA relies on donations to help pets and people in our community. Each year, the Maryland SPCA finds homes for approximately 3,000 homeless dogs and cats. The MD SPCA is the state leader in providing almost 9,000 spay/neuter procedures each year. The MD SPCA does not have any time limit to how long an adoptable pet can remain in our adoption program. The MD SPCA works with other animal shelters in the area and transported almost 800 unwanted pets from other shelters to the MD SPCA to help find them homes. For more information on the MD SPCA or to view adoptable pets, visit www.mdspca.org.

About Sogeti USA:

Sogeti USA is a premier provider of information technology services to businesses and public sector organizations. Operating in 23 U.S. locations, Sogeti’s business model is built on providing customers with local accountability and vast delivery expertise. Sogeti is a leader in helping clients develop, implement and manage practical IT solutions to help run their business better. With over 45 years of experience, Sogeti offers a comprehensive portfolio of services including Advisory Services, Application Development with New Technologies, Business Information Management Services, Product Engineering Services, Infrastructure Services, Mobile Services and Testing Services. To learn more, visit: www.us.sogeti.com.