Pat Hyde

Our January Volunteer Spotlight is on a generous and kind #HHSVolunteer named Pat Hyde. Pat Hyde has been volunteering with HHS for over a decade.  What an amazing person Pat is to our community.  She has continued to help HHS with managing our donations, cleaning, kibble kitchen and fostering.

Pat enlists other volunteers from HHS to assist at Grove Christian Outreach with the food pantry twice a month.  She organizes food, litter, dog and cat toys, beds for those who are in need in our community.  Pat is more than an inspiration, her drive to serve makes us strive to be better.  

For over 20 years Pat has been a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and has cared for orphaned and injured wildlife, especially opossums and cottontail bunnies, from the newborns right up to the time of release into the wild.  At the present time, Pat is assisting another rehabber with her squirrels, bunnies, possums, raccoons, and even a field mouse.  

Below are some words from Pat Hyde:

When did you start volunteering at HHS?

When we returned to Williamsburg in 2014, I visited HHS to check on volunteering opportunities and was immediately “enlisted” to help with making “pupsicles” (icy treats for the dogs).  The volunteer who showed me the process moved away after my first visit, and I wound up being in charge!  I continued this program for about 5 years and then began helping with washing dishes and laundry.

Tell us about your volunteer service at HHS.

Lately, I’ve been part of an amazing team of volunteers who manage in-kind donations to HHS.  We gather, sort, and distribute items from the donation bin to where they can best be used, either here at the shelter or to outside agencies.  One of the most rewarding is our twice-a-month visits to the Grove Community Outreach Center where we provide the local community members with free dog and cat food and other pet-related supplies such as litter, treats, and toys, as well as information about other resources, such as spay/neuter clinics and vaccination needs.

I’m also fostering small birds that are brought to the shelter for rehoming, including those that have been found or surrendered.  I have had companion birds for many years and always enjoy caring for the smaller breeds.  I volunteered at the Feathered Nest for several years before Covid made it necessary to close, and I cared for all the different large and smaller birds which were boarding or available for adoption.