Brandy (2024)

Community Animal Rescue Effort (C.A.R.E.™) is a 501c3 all volunteer organization that works to find homes for unwanted and abandoned animals, serves as an educational and counseling resource for communities on Chicago's North Shore and for current and prospective pet owners, and works to reduce pet overpopulation. We currently work out of Evanston's municipal animal shelter. Since our founding in 1987, C.A.R.E. has been responsible for the adoption of thousands of dogs and cats that would have otherwise been euthanized. C.A.R.E. provides medical treatment and conducts all adoptions for the shelter animals. Each day, the 100+ C.A.R.E. volunteers assume responsibility for total care of all Shelter animals. Each volunteer puts in anywhere from 3 to 30+ hours every week, both at the Shelter and in activities outside the Shelter, performing functions such as: - Walking Dogs - Exercising Cats - Cleaning cages and kennel areas - Bathing and grooming animals - Working with frightened, anti-social animals - Paying for veterinary care, inoculations, and vaccinations - Transporting animals to and from veterinary clinics - Working with veterinarians at the Shelter as part of a testing/inoculation program initiated by C.A.R.E. - Medicating animals as directed by veterinarians - Feeding & watering animals on evenings, weekends, and holidays - Washing bowls, toys, towels, bedding, etc. - Working with Evanston Animal Wardens as needed to comply with city rules & assure accreditation by the Department of Agriculture - Interviewing all potential adopters in-depth and then matching appropriate animals with adopters - Conducting all adoptions, filling out required paperwork, administrating follow-up program - Supplementing city food budget with volunteer funds to provide higher quality food for Shelter animals - Purchasing additional equipment not in city budget to maintain quality care for Shelter animals (including such things as cages, kennel fan, vaccine refrigerator, washing machine, clothes dryer, etc.) - Conducting on-going fund-raising to raise monies to cover all expenses - Conducting community out-reach programs to educate residents on responsible pet care Volunteers are frequently called upon to take animals into their homes and "foster" them in times of overcrowding at the Shelter and when animals need special care.