Alida funnels her passion for animals into volunteerism and support!
Alida first volunteered with Animal Place after our 2012 rescue of 4,460 hens from a Turlock egg farm that left 50,000 birds without food for more than two weeks. She helped to administer medicine, trim overgrown nails and matted feathers of rescued hens. “I’d never really held a hen before, and here I was holding this newly rescued delicate, resilient creature, and trying to soothe her,” Alida remembers. This experience sparked years of dedicated volunteering at Animal Place.
Alida’s involvement in volunteering over the years led her to become a generous donor. Most recently, Alida provided a matching gift to the Rescue Medical Fund. “Because I volunteer a lot, it’s given me an intimate knowledge of what Animal Place does. To know where your donation is going. The more I get to know Animal Place, the happier I feel donating to this worthy cause”.
Alida volunteers doing barn-cleaning and animal socializing at our Grass Valley sanctuary, and also supports the animals here with financial contributions. She even attended a rescue at an egg farm. “Once you are inside the farm, your senses are bombarded with the smell, the noise, the feathers flying around, the horrible lighting. You could just feel the oppression, the fear”. Describing the rescue as one of the most challenging things she’s ever done, she said watching the birds fly free for the first time, provided comfort, amongst the more painful emotions. “That liberating moment when we release them is magical. For the first time in their lives, they can scratch, bathe, and feel the air and sun on their wings.”
With help from people like you and Alida, we can provide the best care possible to the rescued animals here.
As Kim Sturla, executive director elaborates, “One of the biggest joys of working at Animal Place is meeting compassionate and like-minded folks. Alida is more than a volunteer and donor, she has become a close friend to many of us.”
Thank you Alida! And, thank YOU for all you do to help animals!!
-Claire Couron, Social Media Manager
