Non-profits, like animal shelters, rely heavily on the manpower of volunteers like Mariea Hudson.
Mariea has dedicated countless hours to the Saint John SPCA. She says she might be there to help the animals, but really it is the animals that help her.
“I love just being with them and the feeling of peace and joy and love you get,” says Mariea.
It is that love that brings Mariea back to the SPCA each day.
“Mariea has been with us probably over seven years,” says SPCA president Melody McElman.
“She gets here around noon and she leaves here around quarter to five every day, rain or shine,” says SPCA supervisor Terry Goodwin.
“She loves the cats, the cats are her life,” says friend Hazel Pickering. “I think the cats give to Mariea, as Mariea gives to the cats. She is dedicated. She’s always thinking of new ways to promote the shelter and the cats.”
Mariea chose the shelter as a place to devote her time nearly seven years ago. She has always had a love for animals, making the SPCA a perfect fit for her.
Staff at the shelter say they depend heavily on those who volunteer their time to the SPCA.
“Volunteers are the life blood of any non-profit, especially at an animal rescue league or a shelter where they come in every day, and we just don’t see dedication like that,” says Melody.
Mariea says the cats have pawed their way into her heart and she will continue to spend her free time doing what she can to make the most of their time at the shelter, before the animals find their forever homes.
Congratulations to Mariea Hudson, our Maritimer of the Week!
If you know someone deserving of our Maritimer of the Week award, we want to hear about it.
It doesn’t matter how old they are, the nature of the good deed they’ve done, or what part of the region they live in – we want your ideas!
Please send your nomination to:
or
Maritimer of the Week
P.O. Box 1653
Halifax, N.S.
B3J 2Z4
