High school students from Vermont volunteer at MSSPA by Jennifer Davis

The students and teachers from Enosburg Falls High School (EFHS) in Vermont came ready and willing to work this past Saturday morning, April 14, as they braved the cool temperatures to volunteer at the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals (MSSPA). 
 

Upon arrival at the farm the students were greeted by Maiti Kent, Volunteer Coordinator at MSSPA

The students from Vermont

where they were given a rundown of MSSPA’s history and their lists of tasks ahead of them for the morning. After a brief introduction the students were off with smiles on their faces.  The students’ first tasks were to clean the stalls of the horses and lay fresh shavings. From there, they were set to unload a tractor trailer full of hay.  

After being turned down by 10 other facilities, because the group size was too large, MSSPA was thrilled when they got the opportunity to welcome these guests. “We were originally going to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity,” stated EFHS Athletic Director, Chris Brigham or “Brig” as the students call him. “When they said our group was too big we kept looking for a new place to volunteer and MSSPA became our destination.”  

The group consisted of 27 students that are all part of the Athletic Leadership Team at Enosburg Falls High School. These students exhibit a strong example for role modeling and community service. In fact, community service is a large part of what the group does on a regular basis. “The students wanted to venture out of their normal volunteering area, “said Nicola Cribb, teacher at EFHS.  

The students consisted of seniors, juniors and several sophomores and their trip was made possible with fundraising events that included a dodgeball tournament, 50/50 tickets and other fundraising activities. “I love horses,” stated Jen a sophomore. “Being and working with them in a situation such as this is a great place to be.”

MSSPA is a nonprofit organization has been around since 1872 and originated in Portland. In the 1970s, MSSPA moved to its current location in Windham. The facility has changed over the years and is continuously growing. MSSPA accepts horses from the state that have been neglected or abused. Here the hope is to restore the horses to full health so they can be adopted. If the horses are unable to be adopted, the horses will spend the remainder of their lives enjoying the beautiful farm, landscape, staff and volunteers at MSSPA.

MSSPA welcomes approximately 250 volunteers each year on top of their 12 to 15 regular staff members. If you are interested in becoming a part of this organization you may reach out to MSSPA directly via phone at 207-892-3040 for the office or 207-892-2466 for the volunteer coordinator line, or by visiting their website:www.msspa.org/contact.   

If working at the farm does not interest you but you still want to help, MSSPA consistently has opportunities to donate hay bales during their Buy-A-Bale fundraiser.  Interested people can go to MSSPA and click on Buy-A-Bale to donate.