In 2025, Belleville Area Humane Society

• Adopted 1,636 pets to new loving homes
• Distributed pet food to 10,260 families through our monthly pet food pantry
• Vaccinated 70 community pets through our low-cost vaccine clinics
• Spayed/neutered 306 outdoor community cats through our trap-neuter-return program

As you can imagine, it takes a village to make this amazing activity happen. Last year, our dedicated volunteers spent 6,326 hours at the shelter or assisting in events.

Our volunteers are a powerful group of individuals who share their time, talent, and love in service of our life-saving mission.

Become A Volunteer

Introducing Public Dog Walking Weekends!

Stop by the shelter during business hours on Friday through Sunday to take our pups out for a stroll.
No sign-up or training required. Just show up, grab a leash, and go! 18+ only.

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the minimum age to volunteer?

Our minimum age to volunteer is 13-15 years of age, with a parent or legal guardian volunteering on the same task. When volunteers turn 16, they are eligible to sign up for opportunities independently.

Am I limited to a single volunteer position?

BAHS has many different opportunities for folks to make a difference. Volunteers socialize and enrich our animals, foster and serve as greeters, help with office projects and animal care, assist with community outreach and fundraising events, transport items and animals, photograph animals, and help our facilities run well and look their best.

Do I need to sign up for the same shift each week for a certain period of time?

You certainly may choose to volunteer the same day(s) and time(s) each week, but we do not require volunteers to do so since many of our volunteers work swing shifts. To show we value your time, we do ask you to sign up for a specific opportunity through yourMyImpact page once you’ve completed our onboarding process so we’re ready for you to hit the ground when you walk in the door.

Do you offer court-ordered community service hours?

Individuals seeking court-ordered community service hours must be at least 18 and charged with traffic violations. To complete community service hours, email volunteer@bahspets.org or call 618-235-3712, ext. 104.

Our group wants to assist BAHS through service.

We are so thankful that community groups wish to help BAHS with the important work of animal rescue. As a smaller facility, however, we have few opportunities for larger groups to assist physically at the shelter.

An impactful way for your group to help BAHS and its animals is to host a donation drive for the shelter. As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, we receive no tax support to do what we do. Donation drives of supplies allow us to focus our dollars on providing for the medical needs of our animals and maintaining our facilities.

YOUTH Volunteer Opportunities