This weekend, on May 17 and 18, 50 people from the UAnimals volunteer community set out to clean up three animal shelters: the Hostomel Shelter and V Dobri Ruky Shelter in the Kyiv region, and the Leroy Shelter in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The volunteers worked tirelessly—cleaning enclosures and floors, sweeping the grounds, and helping set up the living spaces for the animals. The staff would welcome this kind of help every week, says Maksym Skrypnyk, Head of Operations at the Hostomel Shelter: “Many people bring food or veterinary supplies, but very few are willing or able to help with physical labor. The shelter needs more than just food for the animals. Keeping everything clean takes a lot of time and effort. Our staff does everything they can, but there’s still too much to handle.”
“It’s tough when you look at the animals and want to take them all home,” shared a volunteer from Irpin. “But I can at least do something for them. For me, it’s really important to take part in a social project—it gives life meaning, especially in times like these.”
Oleksandra visited the shelter for the first time and brought her daughter along. Besides everything else, she says, “Events like these are a great way to meet like-minded people.”
Yana, who also helped clean at the Hostomel shelter, previously adopted a pet from a shelter. She had supported animal centers financially before, but this was her first time helping physically.
“If we can’t give every animal a home,” she says, “then we must make sure they have decent living conditions.”
Would you like to help make shelters cozier for animals too? Join in here!
