In This Section

Due to the high volume of interest in volunteerism at Humane Pennsylvania, candidates interested in fulfilling community service with us must complete our full application process and all required trainings prior to beginning their service.

At this time, we do not offer short-term or quick turnaround service opportunities meant to fulfill court-ordered requirements. Volunteers must commit and complete 20 hours of volunteer service to receive a sign-off from the Humane Pennsylvania Volunteer Department on any and all parole documentation.

Please note community service volunteers do not have direct contact with the animals in our care. Rather they are responsible for other tasks that help support our mission. Tasks around the shelter include but are not limited to, cleaning, laundry, and organizing paperwork.

Humane Pennsylvania reserves the right to accept or deny any application if it does not meet our community service guidelines.

Offenses we permit:

  • DUI
  • Possession of Marijuana

Offenses we do not permit include but are not limited to:

  • Forgery
  • Theft
  • Harassment
  • Illegal possession of a weapon
  • Assault or bodily harm

Offenses on your record will be verified by the Humane Pennsylvania Volunteer Department via your docket number through the state of Pennsylvania prior to being accepted. At this time, we can only accept community service volunteers with offenses through the state of Pennsylvania. Offenses committed in other states will not be accepted.

Application Process:

  1. Please email volunteer@humanepa.org with the following:
    • Legal First Name
    • Legal Last Name
    • Docket Number
    • The number of hours needed for completion
    • Any parole paperwork
  2. The Humane Pennsylvania Volunteer Department will verify your offense. At this time, you will be approved or denied.
  3. If approved, you will be sent a link to set up your online portal for tracking and signing up for hours.
  4. Complete the Community Service Handbook and Guidelines.
  5. Online Learning – Complete your online learning modules from home via MyImpact and then schedule your initial training session.
  6. In-person training – new volunteers complete an initial in-person training, provided by one of our HPA Staff Members or Volunteers.