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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Employees of TD Bank first started volunteering at the Halfway Home Pet Rescue over the summer and because of their community volunteerism at the rescue, TD Bank has donated $1,500 to the shelter. |
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The Halfway Home Pet Rescue in Caribou saves hundreds of cats each year thanks to the hard work of dedicated volunteers — and three more volunteers joined the cause this summer.
Sherry Hewitt, Malissa Dubie and Nicole Thibodeau are all employees of TD Bank, (Hewitt at the Presque Isle branch, Dubie and Thibodeau in Caribou).
While attending a seminar this winter, Dubie found out about the company’s volunteer program; for every 40 hours a TD employee donates to a non-profit once a year, the bank will donate $500 to that same organization.
Dubie and Thibodeau, both animal lovers, saw fliers around town for Halfway Home and the decision was made.
After their first day of volunteering, they called up Hewitt and the animal-loving, volunteering trio was formed.
They started diligently volunteering in July with such furor and passion that they quickly surpassed the 40 hours necessary for TD to make the donation — but they didn’t stop after 40.
“I volunteer every Saturday, and I do the laundry on Sunday, and I still stop in and feed the kitties now and then,” Hewitt said.
While the trio joked that HHPR President Norma Milton was stuck with the three of them, their dedication and volunteerism was apparent enough that Milton asked if they’d serve on the Board of Directors; of course, they all said “yes.”
Aside from helping the felines, the trio has made good friends along the way.
“All the people over at the shelter and all the people I wouldn’t have met otherwise,” Dubie said. “I think it’s an awesome program TD Bank offers its employees so we can get out and no only help financially, but give of our own time — which is great.”
But volunteering can be a literal pain at times, Dubie described — funny, adorable pain.
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| Aroostook Republican photo/ Natalie Bazinet Halfway Home Pet Rescue Volunteer Sherry Hewitt helps out every Saturday at the shelter, and she’s shown here with one her current favorite felines, Bonnie, waiting for a forever home. “Bonnie’s just so loveable,” Hewitt said. The two met after Bonnie had been spayed and was confined to a cage for recovery. “I was trying to clean out her litter box, and I couldn’t put my hand in the cage without her rubbing all over it, and sprawling on her back to have her belly rubbed,” Sherry said. Bonnie is one of many adorable cats waiting for adoption. |
Like the other week, when she was getting lunch ready for a herd of hungry kittens.
“I was getting the food ready for them and I think they were impatient because there were a ton of kittens in the playroom, all of a sudden I was saying “ouch, ouch!” Dubie described. “One of the kittens had climbed up my leg, all the way to my thigh, trying to get up the counter and the food!”
The three so enjoy volunteering at the shelter that Thibodeau even jokingly referred to her volunteer time as “going to therapy.”
Most of Thibodeau’s volunteer time was donated to taking care of infant kittens by bottle-feeding them, and doing so was a very rewarding experience.
“If you’ve had a stressful day, it’s very soothing; these little kittens are just so excited to see you and you feel so good because these kittens would not survive if it were not for what Norma and the team are doing,” Thibodeau said. “It’s very humbling because it reminds us that we all need help, regardless of whether you’re a human or an animal.”
Like the rest of the volunteers, the trio admitted to being emotionally invested in the little kittens — including the excitement when little milestones are reached in the kittens’ development.
“It’s because you know that the kittens are going to make it, and there’s something to be said for saving an animal’s life,” Thibodeau described.
Each volunteer has their favorites, and new favorites are found as the cats find their forever homes, but the cats do make lasting impressions on the volunteers.
“Petunia,” Thibodeau said, naming her favorite. “I really like Petunia. For whatever reason, she had a really hard time finding her forever home.”
Of course, the three admit they can’t help but love every single one.
“They do grow, and once they get adopted you feel so sad, but you’re also happy because they’re getting their forever homes,” Hewitt said.
In October, the pet rescue received a check for the $1,500 that TD Bank donated for their employees’ hard work, and the trio expressed their appreciation for the volunteer program.
“It’s great to do donations and grants, which TD Bank does, but this allows the employees to be involved more in the communities,” Dubie said. “It’s a great program, and we’re glad we can help out in the community.”
For more information about the shelter and to read the story of Chester, the three-legged cat waiting to be adopted, please turn to page 3.
