Whether it’s to celebrate the holiday season or kick off a new year at the start of 2018, donating to your local Cincinnati shelter is a great way to help dogs that are in need. Since there are actually a variety of different ways that you can donate to a shelter,  Dog Day Every Day  wants to cover six of them right now:

1. Time

Animal shelters rely on help from volunteers to carry out their mission. Even if you only have a few hours a week, donating this time to a Cincinnati shelter will have a positive impact. You can easily contact a shelter to learn more about the type of help they need.

2. Skills

There’s no question that shelters need lots of help with tasks like cleaning and taking care of all the dogs. But they also need assistance with more specialized tasks. If you have a skill, chances are good that a shelter will benefit from you donating it. This can be anything from photography to accounting to online marketing.

3. Items

Most shelters are very appreciative of getting donations of both new and gently-used items. Wish lists often include water & food bowls, toys, leashes, collars, brushes, beds and blankets. Shelters also need a variety of cleaning supplies. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with a shelter and ask them which items they currently need the most.

4. Food

Given all the animals that occupy a shelter, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they consume a lot of food. If you have a way to obtain or purchase animal food in bulk, a shelter will be able to put this donation to good use right away. The same is true for cat litter. It’s worth noting that many smaller pet food brands offer donation programs where they will match the amount of food you donate pound for pound.

5. Awareness

Shelters in Cincinnati do an incredible amount of positive work for local animals. With everything going on in the world, it’s easy to forget about that impact. One way you can help with this issue is by spreading awareness. This donation can be as simple as using your social media profiles or as elaborate as organizing a fundraising event for a specific shelter.

6. Money

While we’ve already covered five different ways to donate, no list about this topic would be complete without mentioning money. Shelters definitely need financial support, so if that’s what works best for you to donate, don’t hesitate to do so!