Service Learning Hours Service Learning/Service project Hours
*Please note that the Roanoke Valley SPCA cannot assist with lawyer recommended or court-mandated community service hours.*
If you are a student who would like to do your service learning or leadership hours with the Roanoke Valley SPCA, we recommend signing up to volunteer ASAP. It can take up to a week for volunteer applications to be processed, and we can’t commonly accommodate a need for many hours in a very short period of time. Please head to the How to Volunteer tab to get started. Please email the Community Engagement Coordinator or call 540.339.9503 for questions about Service Learning.
Can’t come into the shelter, but want to help the animals? There are many things you can do right at home to help the animals! Here are some easy projects you can do at home to earn your hours:
- Organize a Donation Drive at your school, church or club for pet supplies from our Wish List.
- Make Dog Cookies – Directions below
- Make Cat Blankets – Directions below
- Make Kitty Kickers (without catnip) – Directions below
- Make “Adopt Me” bandanas for the dogs and cats.
- Host a car wash, dog wash, lemonade stand, or garage sale and donate the proceeds to the Roanoke Valley SPCA.
- Hold a “Penny War” at school and see which classroom has the most animal lovers by contributing the largest number of pennies.
- Hold a bake sale for pets and people and donate the proceeds to the Roanoke Valley SPCA.
- Get your family involved in the foster care program (parental involvement required). We award 7 volunteer hours per week for fostering!
Homemade Dog Cookies (long-lasting 3 ingredient treats)
You can get 2 hours of volunteer service credit for making 40 of these treats (there is an estimated 50 treats per batch). Turn them in to our Community Engagement Coordinator for credit OR earn extra hours by selling them to raise money for the Roanoke Valley SPCA! You will need:
- ½ cup peanut butter (check that it does not have xylitol!!!)
- ½ cup of pumpkin puree (no added sugar or spices)
- 2 cups of oat flour, rolled oats or oatmeal
Note: If using oatmeal, we recommend placing it in a food processor and blending. The cookies are easier to cut if most of the oats are ground.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Mix oats, peanut butter, and pumpkin. Use a hand mixer or food processor to mix until the dough comes together.
- Roll the dough out 1/4″ thick, using flour if the dough is sticky.
- Cut out using a cookie cutter or cut into squares.
- Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake at 250° for 2 hours until the dog treats are completely dry and crispy.
- Once dog treats are fully dehydrated, they can be stored at room temperature!
Cat Blanket (no-sew)
You can get 1 hour of volunteer service credit for making 1 of these cozy blankets for our kitties. Turn them in to our Community Engagement Coordinator for credit OR earn extra hours by selling them to raise money for the Roanoke Valley SPCA! You will need:
- 2 pieces of Fleece fabric (minimum of 18” x 18” in size)
- Washable marker
- Scissors
- Large ruler
- Optional: Rotary cutter
- Optional: Cutting mat
Note: The smallest blanket size we can accept is 12 inches by 12 inches (12”x12”). To make a blanket this size, you will need to cut out a piece of fleece that is 18 inches by 18 inches. You will lose 3 inches on each side when making your blanket!
- Lay the first fleece out flat and measure the size you need. Mark your line to cut with a washable marker.
- Cut the first fleece along the lines you measured to make it the correct size. It should be a large square when you are done.
- Lay the square fleece you just cut on top of the other fleece and measure so it matches the first one.
- Cut out your second piece of fleece.
- Cut a three inch square out from each corner of both fleece squares.
- Cut strips along each side of the fleece that are 1 inch thick, and 3 inches deep. Do this around all 4 sides of the blanket and both fleece layers.
- Take the two layers of fringe (one from each blanket) and tie them together in a knot. Do this around all 4 sides of the blanket.
Kitty Kickers (sewing required)
You can get 1 hour of volunteer service credit for making 2 of these fun wrestling toys for our kitties. Every kitty at the RVSPCA gets to take a kicker toy home with them when they’re adopted! Turn them in to our Community Engagement Coordinator for credit OR earn extra hours by selling them to raise money for the Roanoke Valley SPCA! You will need:
- Fabric piece (fleece, cotton, or canvas recommended) that is at least 8 inches by 10 inches in size
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Matching thread
- Pins to hold the fabric in place before sewing
- Optional: Rotary cutter
- “pillow” stuffing such as Poly-Fil
Note: Items with Foam or Doll/Bean bag pellet filling cannot be accepted
- If needed, cut the fabric into an 8 inch by 10 inch rectangle. You can use your ruler or an 8×10 piece of paper/cardboard to measure this.
- Fold the fabric in half long ways (bending the 8 inch side in half), with the “inside” of the fabric facing outwards. (Some fabrics, such as fleece may not have an obvious “out” side and that is okay!).
- Sew the long open side and one of the short sides together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance (1/4 inch “in” from the edge of the fabric).
- Make sure to back-tack (go back over the ends where you start and end the seam) to avoid fraying.
- Flip the fabric “tube” you have made “inside out” so that the seam is now on the inside and the correct side of the fabric is facing outwards.
- Measure 1/4 inch on the small open side of the tube and fold the open edge to avoid fraying when you seal it.
- Fill the kicker “tube” with your pillow stuffing to help shape it. It should hold the tube shape without being so firm it doesn’t “give” when the cat grabs it!
- Sew the short open side together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance (1/4 inch “in” from the edge of the fabric).
- Make sure to back-tack (go back over the ends where you start and end the seam) to avoid fraying.