MRFRS relies on our team of wonderful, committed volunteers to help both in the shelter and out in the community.

Our volunteers help care for cats waiting to find their forever homes in our Salisbury adoption center, assist with special events, help with answering phones and administrative tasks, staff our Sunday feral spay/neuter clinics, as well as a variety of other responsibilities – they are there wherever extra help is needed!

We are always looking for new volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, the first step is to fill out a volunteer application. Once your application has been submitted and reviewed, you will be trained and then scheduled for a regular shift.

Before You Apply

Our regular cat care hours are 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 2:30- 4:30 p.m.

You must be at least 16 years of age (with parent or guardian permission) or over 18 years of age to volunteer in the shelter (or for our feral spay/neuter clinics). For Cat Care Volunteers, we ask for at least a 6 month commitment of at least one regular shift per week (2 hours) due to the training involved. If you are under 16, or can't make a regular volunteering commitment right now, check out other ways to help below. Most volunteers will average from 2-4 hours a day, one day a week, on a designated day and time slot scheduled by the volunteer coordinator. We accept volunteers needing community service hours for school on a case-by-base basis. 

Apply to Volunteer at MRFRS
Portal for Current Volunteers

Volunteer Opportunities

Just click on the tabs below to learn more about the roles volunteers can fill at MRFRS.
Volunteer Cat Caregiver
Join our incredible team of shelter volunteers to help keep the shelter clean, the kitties fed, and the litter boxes scooped & clean! We have two shifts each day, and we couldn’t run the shelter without the volunteers who staff these shifts! Volunteers assist with many tasks which help to make the property more comfortable for both animals and people. Because of the training involved, we ask Cat Caregivers to commit to at least 6 months of at least one regular shift per week (approximately 2 hours).
Administrative Volunteer
Administrative Volunteers help out at the shelter by greeting visitors, answering the phone, and also doing clerical work.
Donation Can Volunteer
If you would like to volunteer but can’t commit to a specific day or time each week, collecting donation cans might be a good option for you. Merchants around Salisbury, Amesbury, Newburyport, Newbury, West Newbury, Boxford, Georgetown have agreed to let MRFRS have a donation can at their check out registers. We need volunteers to periodically visit the merchants to pick up and replace donation cans when they become full and change the kitty photos on the cans to keep them interesting to customers. Each volunteer usually has between 5 and 10 cans to monitor and usually the cans are in a very close geographic area.
Special Events/Fundraising Volunteer
We hold a variety of fundraisers and special events over the course of the year. From our Strut for Strays walk to our rabies vaccination clinics to our Fur Ball auction, we need volunteers to make each event a success. If you are unable to make a weekly commitment to the shelter, this is a great way to lend a helping hand!
Sunday Spay/Neuter Clinic Volunteer
Help out at our monthly clinics for feral cats, where we spay/neuter and vaccinate around 50 cats in a day! Jobs range from trap wash (no experience or medical knowledge needed!) to surgery prep (experience or vet techs needed!) to surgery (vets only!). Whatever you’re interested in, as much or as little medical knowledge as you have, we can find a spot for you! Volunteers for these clinics must be 18 years of age or older.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
The possibilities are endless! If you can help with photography, graphic design, building maintenance, public relations, transporting cats to vet appointments, landscaping, trapping feral cats… we can find a way for you to use your skills to help the MRFRS!
*Please note that not all volunteers are accepted, and that not all volunteers receive their first choice of roles.
Volunteer & Foster Care Opportunities
Volunteer & Foster Care Opportunities
Volunteer & Foster Care Opportunities

Become a Foster Parent

This is the ultimate hands-on experience. Take one of our kitties home for a much-needed break from the shelter, or perhaps to recover from surgery or an illness, or maybe take home a litter of kittens needing some time to grow big enough for spay/neuter. MRFRS will provide training, supplies, advice, and medical care as needed. Fill out a volunteer application now!

*Please note: If you’re interested in fostering for MRFRS, you'll be contacted to complete a foster care application after you've completed your volunteer application. Our need for types of foster homes changes based on our cat population. Once your volunteer application is complete, our Foster Coordinator will be in touch to discuss current foster opportunities with you.

Under 16 or unable to commit to volunteering right now?

There are still fun, easy ways for you to help make homeless cats more comfortable. Download instructions to help us by making fleece cat beds, Tumbles cat toys, Kickers cat toys!

Vol Appreciation 2024