Mercer County, NJ | How You Can Help

There are many ways to help!

Volunteers: We always need an extra pair of hands working with the animals.

Wish list donations: Caring for the injured, ill, and displaced animals that come through our door involves various supplies, many of which you probably use in your own home.

Monetary donations: Although all services we provide are free of charge to those who bring animals in need of care, we greatly appreciate donations. Any donation made to the Wildlife Center is tax deductible.

Friend to animals: This job can be done on your own time and in your own backyard! For tips on ways to help wildlife, visit our About Wildlife page.

Volunteers

Do you love animals? Would you like to know more about caring for our injured and displaced local wildlife? Are you calm, patient, willing to take direction, and age 18 or older? We need dependable, compassionate people to help feed, administer medications to, and create a temporary shelter for local wildlife such as owls, hawks, songbirds, raccoons, opossums, bats, foxes, beavers, skunks, and squirrels.

Our busy season is from April to October. During this time, we are busy caring for injured and displaced animals 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. To help us in this important work, we ask you to commit to a four-hour shift once a week (8 a.m. to noon, noon to 4 p.m., or 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.). No experience is necessary—we offer an orientation at the beginning of the year right before our busy season starts. Just bring your enthusiasm and dedication!

The Mercer County Wildlife Center, a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission, has scheduled its 2009 volunteer orientation for Sunday, March 22 and Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 10 a.m. to noon at the center. Those who are interested are required to attend only one of the two sessions.

To work directly with the animals, volunteers must be at least 18 years of age, have had a current tetanus vaccine, and are required to attend one orientation session. No other sessions will be offered this year. The Center requires that volunteers that work with animals make a commitment to a regular, once-a-week, four-hour shift from April through October. This commitment is necessary because of the feeding schedule requirements and housing demands of the animals.

The Mercer County Wildlife Center is located on Route 29, approximately 3 miles south of Lambertville and 12 miles north of Trenton. Anyone interested in registering for either orientation session or needing more information can call Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Bencivengo at (609) 397-8435.