By: Miranda Ewing, Director of Volunteer Services

This month, the SPCA Albrecht Center would like to thank our entire team of volunteers. April is National Volunteer Month, and the SPCA knows firsthand the importance of volunteers to an organization’s mission. Every day, both people and pets come to the SPCA for assistance, and the volunteers work passionately alongside staff to ensure our mission stays true: We strive to improve the lives of companion animals by rehoming abused, abandoned, and neglected pets while fighting for their well-being through vigorous legislative efforts, humane education, and by offering affordable veterinary care for all.

Ensuring the health and safety of each companion animal is a worthwhile and momentous duty, as the shelter is tasked with the 5 freedoms for animals:  Freedom from hunger or thirst; Freedom from discomfort; Freedom from pain, injury or disease; Freedom to express normal behavior; and Freedom from fear and distress. How do our volunteers help the City of Aiken’s homeless animals?

Last year our small team of paid staff were energetically supported by 196 volunteers who gave approximately 13,800 hours of their time to the SPCA Albrecht Center- this is the hourly equivalent of six fulltime positions. The volunteer team not only diligently works onsite with direct animal care, but equally as important, the volunteers help raise vital funds for operational costs, assist the SPCA Vet Care Center, aid the SPCA Thrift Store, and even provides a safe refuge in their homes for foster dog/cat/hamster/gerbil/iguana until a forever family is found.

Compassion for animals is at the heart of the SPCA Albrecht Center, and the volunteers emanate kindness in every area of service. For our feline-loving friends, volunteers can help provide a healthy and engaging environment while each cat waits for a loving home. The team of Phideaux University volunteers socialize the canines, stimulate their natural mental acuity through training and enrichment activities, as well as a chance to explore the vast world safely on a leash. All volunteers treasure these animals, and many want to spread the word through participating in community events, fundraisers, snapping photos and writing pet biographies, and being all-around astounding adoption ambassadors.

There are so many ways a community can support the SPCA Albrecht Center, and the SPCA Thrift Store retail volunteers put in valuable time and effort into sorting the items our Aiken residents donate for resale; the revenue goes directly to the SPCA Albrecht Center for the animals’ cost of care. The volunteer team also provides a helping hand to the SPCA Vet Care Center during walk-in clinic hours, as the medical team is focused on not only providing low-cost vital care for the community’s pets, but also lifesaving care of our shelter animals.

Each volunteer brings individual skills, strengths, interests, and a personal drive to make a difference in their community. In 2021, the SPCA Albrecht Center was able to save 1,162 lives and this number could not have been reached without the help of our wonderful volunteer team. Thank you so much!

Are you interested in becoming a volunteer?  When you sign up to be a volunteer with the SPCA Albrecht Center, you are a volunteer for life!  General volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. To become a volunteer, you must first attend a Shelter 101 Information Session. These information sessions are designed to explain how our volunteer program is structured and highlight the expectations we have of volunteers.  To view the dates of our upcoming volunteer sessions, please visit: www.letlovelive.org/how-to-help/volunteer.


Miranda Ewing joined the team at the SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare in February 2020. She has committed her life to volunteering and fostering homeless animals and believes the strength of a community shines when we can lean on each other. A 2012-2013 AmeriCorps alumni and Rescue Volunteer for Team Stinkykiss (a local CSRA animal rescue), she is an advocate for all animals and all people! Her family includes her husband, who knows all critters may find a temporary home with him (even if he’s allergic to some).


The SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare is a private, nonprofit, no kill animal shelter in Aiken, SC. The SPCA also operates a local Thrift Store (“Where Shopping Saves Lives”), a public, affordable Veterinary Care Center & a Dog Park. It is our mission to improve the lives of companion animals by rehoming abused, abandoned, and neglected pets while fighting for their well-being through vigorous legislative efforts, humane education, and by offering affordable veterinary care for all.

WANT TO SUPPORT OUR HOMELESS ANIMALS?