Before you dive into the wonderful world of sanctuary life, please make sure you’ve done your homework as well as considered all the ideas/recommendations on this page. It’s not just for your own benefit, but for the individuals in your future care. Most new sanctuaries fold within the first year, so we want to make sure you are set up for success!
Most Important – Volunteer & Intern
One of the first questions we will ask is have you been volunteering at a farm sanctuary, at least once a week, for the past year? The big reason being, like anything else in life, you don’t know the amount of work and if it’s for you until you do it. Once a week is the least one can commit to to see, when in reality it’s a 24/7 commitment.
The year of volunteering is to see how the work changes through the seasons. It might be easy to get out of bed in the summer, but those cold winter nights could be another story. Checking the heat lamps and going out to feed individuals early in the morning may not have been something you thought of.
With the growing number of farm sanctuaries, and the romanticized view in which they’re portrayed in the media, it’s very important to see that it’s not just about cuddling with cows and running with chickens. It’s a lot of work too with financial and fundraising commitments, sanctuary tours, fixing fences, setting up infrastructure, emergencies, medical bills, organizing volunteers, cleaning up a lot of poo and so much more. The best way to learn the actual work load is volunteering or doing an internship at a farm sanctuary.
More Resources
DISCLAIMER | P.E.A.C.E. has provided this list as a service to the public. Some of the information in this website has been provided by external sources. P.E.A.C.E. is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information provided by external sources. Users should please consult directly with the external source of the information.