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As we enter the holiday season, it’s a great opportunity to think about how to give back. Since there are lots of great causes you can choose to support, we want to focus specifically on local shelters in Cincinnati.

Why Local Cincinnati Shelters Need Your Help

Every year, over 7 million pets enter shelters across the United States. The majority of these shelters are run by volunteers who give their time and other resources because they want to help animals in need.

Since our city of Cincinnati has a population of nearly 300,000, it’s easy to understand just how many local dogs and cats are cared for by shelters here. If you want to help support the great work these shelters are doing, here are four ways to give back this holiday season:

1. Make a Donation

A simple but effective way to support a local shelter is by making a donation. Prior to donating, check to see if your employer offers a matching program. A matching program will double or even triple the value of what you donate.

In addition to money, you can also consider donating specific items. While it’s worth calling a shelter to see exactly what they need, common examples include cleaning supplies, towels, blankets and stainless steel water bowls.

2. Adopt a Pet

We don’t recommend giving someone a pet as a Christmas present. However, if your family has been thinking about adopting a dog or cat, the holiday season can be the perfect time to add this new member to your family. Not only will adopting allow you to give a loving pet a home, but it will also give a local shelter space to take in another pet in need.

3. Volunteer

One of the many things that makes the holiday season so great is it often means extra time off from work. If you’re looking for something to do during your time off, volunteering can be a great option. Many shelters are especially in need of volunteers who can handle specialized work like program development and fundraising.

4. Shop at Amazon

Experts predict that online holiday shopping is going to eclipse in-store buying for the first time ever this year. If you’re planning to do a lot of your shopping online, you can automatically give back a percentage of what you buy to a shelter.

The way to accomplish this is through the AmazonSmile program. This program allows you to choose the Cincinnati shelter you want to support, and then 0.5% of what you spend on holiday gifts or any other Amazon purchases will go directly to the shelter.

Now that you know how you can support local Cincinnati shelters, we encourage you to support SPCA Cincinnati. With an incredible history that dates all the way back to 1873, this wonderful local shelter takes in over 13,000 pets every year!