The Ontario SPCA celebrates 1,000 volunteers during National Volunteer Week

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stouffville, ON (April 20, 2026) – National Volunteer Week takes place April 19-25, and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is celebrating more than 1,000 dedicated volunteers across Ontario who generously give their time to help animals in need.

This year is especially meaningful for the charity, which welcomed its 1,000th volunteer in 2026. At the Ontario SPCA, volunteers support a wide range of roles, including animal care, dog walking, enrichment, humane education, transportation, events, and administrative support.

In recognition of National Volunteer Week, the Ontario SPCA is inviting new volunteers to join its family across the province. From supporting animals in its centres to assisting with events and community outreach, volunteers play a vital role in changing the lives of animals and the people who love them.

One of the organization’s most urgent needs is for foster volunteers to provide temporary care for animals not yet ready for adoption – such as very young kittens and puppies, including those animals that need bottle feeding, animals recovering from illness or injury, or animals stressed in a centre environment. Foster volunteers give animals the individualized attention and safe space they need to grow, heal, and thrive – while gaining a deeply rewarding experience themselves.

“National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize the incredible individuals who are the heart of our organization,” says Kim Dooley, Provincial Manager of Volunteer Development, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. “Through their time, skills, and compassion, volunteers strengthen every part of our work, helping animals, communities, and the people who love them.”

Interested in becoming a volunteer with the Ontario SPCA? Visit ontariospca.ca/volunteer to learn more and apply.

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Media Contact

Media Relations            
Ontario SPCA and Humane Society 
905-898-7122 x 375
[email protected]

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society 

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered charity that has been changing the lives of animals for over 150 years. The Society provides care, comfort and compassion to animals in need in communities across Ontario. It values all animals and advocates to treat them with respect and kindness. The Society strives to keep pets and families together and does so through a variety of community support services, such as sheltering and adoptions, including emergency sheltering, feral cat management programs, animal transfers, food distribution, humane education, animal advocacy, and spay/neuter services.
 
The Ontario SPCA does not receive annual government funding and relies on donations to provide programs and services to help animals in need. To learn more, or to donate, visit ontariospca.ca. Charitable Business # 88969-1044-RR0002.
 
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society Provincial Office sits on the traditional territory of the Wendat, the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of Scugog, Hiawatha and Alderville First Nations and the Métis Nation. This territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. The treaties that were signed for this particular parcel of land are collectively referred to as the Williams Treaties of 1923.