This picture is about a year and a half old, but it perfectly captures the essence of October's Volunteer of the Month -- and the moment we fell for her. Meet Samantha Moreno, one of our tried and true Saturday volunteers who staffs the UES Petco adoption events! This woman is a godsend. Not only is she responsible, reliable, smart, and fun, she's also down for anything -- like, "Sure, I'll throw this big-ish dog in this little bag and tote him wherever you need him to go. Adoption event in the lobby of a Broadway theater? No problem." Samantha is one of those jewels who will foster a dog for at least a few days in a pinch of any if our little rescues get suddenly stuck with nowhere to go. Her kindness and willingness to help are infectious, and we can't begin to tell you how often we hear people singing her praises -- other volunteers, adopters, foster parents... Samantha, NEVER LEAVE US! If you do, we'll hunt you down and drag you back. Jk, we'd send you off with oodles of well wishes and some bags of diamonds but that will never happen so don't even think about it.
This award program is designed to show how much we truly appreciate the hard work of our crew, to draw attention to a volunteer who has gone above and beyond in some capacity, to encourage other animal lovers to join the rescue world, and to spread stories of positive energy and compassion. THANK YOU SO MUCH, Samantha!!!! Thanks to the support of our Volunteer of the Month donors, Samantha will receive a $50 gift certificate so she can make a cool ass tee shirt via Pop Your Pup AND a gift certificate for some super yummy food from Dirty Bird To Go. Thank you also to our generous donors who are as committed to expressing gratitude for the hard work our volunteers do as we are.