Local animal shelter in need of volunteers

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Human and animal relationships during the pandemic have increased due to the time spent at home but what about animals at the shelter without a home or non- pet owners spending the pandemic alone.

With the pandemic causing many to feel lonely, one coping method can be volunteering at a local animal shelter for animals who are feeling quite the same.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, animals help improve the health and well-being of people, in about 67% of U.S. households.

That's about 84.9 million homes.

The benefits of human-animal bonds have shown to reduce stress, depression and anxiety.

Just by being around animals, there are many psychological benefits, one being reduced feelings of isolation and loneliness.

“Hanging out with those who do not have homes. It really changes you. You're making an impact for them as well as yourself because they have nobody. And, when you feel like you can’t talk to anybody, they listen. It’s hard to explain but it’s so well worth it,” said says Durski, volunteer coordinator at the South Bend Animal Resource Center.

South bend animal resource center is looking for volunteers to help.

Some volunteer duties are; playing, socializing, help with fundraising events, cleaning, greeting adoptions.

The volunteer coordinator tells me that volunteers truly enhance the well-belling and experience of the animals here at the animal resource center.

The goal is to maintain a daily interaction with the animals to provide the best quality of life and doing so, is the need for more volunteers.

Just like humans, animals need to socialize too.

She also tells me that if you're planning to adopt and are unsure, one best way to find out is by volunteering.

“I see in the volunteers' faces, in their eyes how much they love it here. They talk about it and more people start coming and you just see this expression of joy, excitement and that you’re doing something and that you're making a difference and it just changes you for the better,” Durski said.