Why Volunteer?
🤝 About Volunteering & Community Service
At Tupelo-Lee Humane Society (TLHS), volunteers play an essential role in the daily care and well-being of the animals we serve. Whether you’re giving your time to walk dogs, clean enclosures, or represent our shelter as an ambassador, every hour you spend makes a lasting difference.
Currently, volunteer support at TLHS is focused on several key areas:
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🏡 Property Care – Groundskeeping, light maintenance, and upkeep of our facility.
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🧹 General Care & Cleaning – Helping staff maintain a clean, safe environment for our animals and community.
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🐾 Animal Socialization & Dog Walking – After completing orientation and training with a TLHS staff member, volunteers can help provide enrichment, exercise, and positive interactions for cats and dogs.
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💛 Shelter Ambassadors – Representing TLHS at events, helping educate the community, and supporting adoption efforts.
Each volunteer position has specific requirements and training to ensure you are prepared and set up for success.
🌟 Why Volunteer?
Volunteers provide love, devotion, and a voice for the animals in our care. By joining our volunteer program, you’ll:
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Make a direct impact on homeless animals’ lives.
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Gain hands-on experience in animal care and shelter operations.
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Meet like-minded people and become part of our TLHS family.
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Give back to the community in a meaningful way.
📝 How to Get Started
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Fill out a Volunteer Application: Apply for a volunteer position by completing our online form, or stop by the shelter to submit a paper application in person.
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Wait for Contact: Once your application is received, we’ll reach out to discuss opportunities and next steps.
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Orientation & Training: Volunteers will attend orientation and training before starting. Currently, volunteer support at TLHS is focused on several key areas:
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🏡 Property Care – Groundskeeping, light maintenance, and upkeep of our facility.
-
🧹 General Care & Cleaning – Helping staff maintain a clean, safe environment for our animals and community.
-
🐾 Animal Socialization & Dog Walking – After completing orientation and training with a TLHS staff member, volunteers can help provide enrichment, exercise, and positive interactions for cats and dogs.
-
💛 Shelter Ambassadors – Representing TLHS at events, helping educate the community, and supporting adoption efforts.
Each volunteer position has specific requirements and training to ensure you are prepared and set up for success.
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⚖️ Community Service Hours
If you’re completing court-ordered or required community service hours, please:
Email us with your service requirements.
Include your total hours needed and availability.
We’ll confirm if we can accommodate your schedule.
🎓 Senior Projects
We proudly welcome Tupelo High School seniors to choose TLHS for their senior projects!
Contact us with your proposed project and deadlines.
Include all requirements from your school.
We encourage creative projects that advance our programs and lifesaving mission.
🏕️ Scouts Projects
We are happy to work with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts on service projects and Eagle or Gold Award projects!
Contact us with your project proposal, requirements, and timeline.
We welcome hands-on projects that improve our shelter, enhance animal care, or promote community education.
Our team will work with you to ensure your project aligns with our shelter’s needs while helping you meet your scouting goals.
💡 Important Note
Volunteer opportunities are available in several areas, including essential care roles, ambassador positions, and—after completing orientation and training with a TLHS staff member—animal socialization and dog walking. If you are new and eager to help, please submit your application, and we will contact you to get you started in a role that fits your skills and interests.
📩 Have Questions?
We’d love to hear from you!
Contact Us
Volunteer FAQ's
All volunteers are required to attend a volunteer orientation. A $20 donation to help cover the cost of a TLHS volunteer vest is welcomed but not required. Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during orientation.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old to volunteer on TLHS property and must complete a Volunteer Application with a parent or guardian’s signature if under 18.
If you are younger than 16, there are still many ways to help, such as:
Organizing supply drives for Kongs, dog toys, creamy peanut butter, and canned puppy or kitten food.
Completing at-home projects to benefit our shelter and animals.
Assisting with community outreach or fundraising efforts suitable for your age.
Seniors and adults who prefer lighter tasks can help by:
Unfolding newspapers used as liners in kennels.
Folding towels or blankets, and washing or drying laundry.
Serving as a shelter ambassador or helping with outreach events.
Reading to animals or assisting with other gentle, low-physical activities that support daily shelter operations.
TLHS’s regular business hours are 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Tuesday through Friday, and 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturdays. Volunteers are generally scheduled during these hours, though alternative arrangements may be approved by TLHS management on a case-by-case basis.
Handling animals requires special training and requires a mentorship with a senior TLHS staff member.
Handling animals requires specialized training and mentorship with a senior TLHS staff member. After orientation and training, volunteers may assist with socialization, dog walking, and interacting with cats and dogs under staff guidance.
While we continue to focus on property maintenance and general care of animals as high-need areas, trained volunteers can also help provide enrichment and positive experiences for our animals. If you’d like to help with these opportunities or keep our facility and animal housing clean and safe, please complete our volunteer application form.
