(NC) With spring around the corner, many people have more free time during the warmer months, and are looking for ways to give back. Here are three ideas to help while indulging in your love for animals:

1. Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Perfect for students hoping to fill community service hour requirements while on a break from school, almost every community has at least one animal shelter or rescue group that needs help. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities at shelters and rescue organizations, from office duties and community outreach and education to training, feeding and socializing, so people with every skillset are often able to lend a hand.

2. Donate supplies. While pets await adoption, they need access to food, making pet food a significant operating expense for animal welfare organizations. Through PetSmart's Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program, for every bag of dog or cat food purchased online and at its more than 1,500 stores across North America through the end of the year, the leading pet specialty retailer will donate a meal to a pet in need served by animal welfare organizations and food banks.

3. Foster a pet. As many animal welfare organizations have dogs or cats not suited for living in a shelter atmosphere, fostering a pet in your home is a simple way to give back without the long-term commitment of pet ownership.

Find more ways to get involved at your local shelter or rescue group, and learn more about the Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program at Petsmart.ca/giveameal.

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