Animal Exchange Program
At the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area (HSHA), we are building a better community for pets and people. A vital part of this mission is to ensure that the pet owners of tomorrow understand the responsibility of owning a pet. That’s why HSHA created the Animal Exchange Program, which is made possible by a grant from The Greater Harrisburg Foundation. Through this program, local classrooms can adopt a small pet at no charge. In turn, students learn the responsibilities and rewards of pet ownership. Consider enrolling your classroom in the Animal Exchange Program today to ensure a community of responsible pet owners tomorrow. Each pet comes with a "starter kit" that includes:
-Cage
-Bag of food
-Bag of bedding
-Bowls and/or water bottle

Donations of supplies or monetary donations are accepted for the program, however there is not a fee to adopt a classroom pet.  Applications for this program can be found here and should be mailed to HSHA, Attn: Animal Exchange Program, 7790 Grayson Road, Harrisburg, PA  1711 or faxed to 717-564-1867 Attn: Suzi.


Responsibility Box
This activity is geared toward groups of children Pre-K to 3rd grade.  The responsibility box is full of items needed to take proper care of a pet.  Through this interactive activity, children will learn that having a furry friend is a lot of responsibility!*

The Pit Bull Breed: A Presentation
This is a lesson developed for grades 9-12 that explains the history of the Pit-Bull, characteristics of this misunderstood breed, and provides an insight to dog fighting.*

Humane Careers Presentation
HSHA is available to visit your high school to speak about animal careers, job opportunities at HSHA, and volunteering.  This presentation is geared toward high school students who are interested in working with animals in the future.*

In-Class Lessons/Activities
If you would like your students to learn more about pets, we have several customizable lesson plans and activity ideas to choose from that are easy to present to your class.

Youth Guardian Angel Program
If your classroom cannot participate in our Animal Exchange program, help out by sponsoring any of our residents as Youth Guardian Angels!  Raise $20 each month during the school year to sponsor and receive pictures and updates of that resident.  If the resident your class chose gets adopted, then you may pick out another pet to sponsor.  Search for residents to sponsor under Adoption Center/Available Pets, which can be found on our homepage.  For more information about this program, please contact Suzi Hansel at suzih@humanesocietyhbg.org.

Senior/Graduation/Community Service Project
High school students who wish to satisfy the requirements of their senior or graduation project to benefit the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area might follow either of these suggestions:

-Plan, organize, and conduct a donation drive for specific items on our Wish List.  The items we almost always need are paper towels, non-scoopable kitty litter, used linens (towels, blankets, sheets, etc.), white copier paper, and bleach.  By creating posters or flyers and advertising such a drive, arranging dates, times, and locations for the collection of selected items, and delivering the donations to our shelter, the student would be performing a much-needed service that definitely would benefit our resident animals. 

-As another component of the project, the student might write a ‘how-to’ guide that others could use for similar projects in the future.  If the student’s school requires HSHA staff verification of the completion of such a project, it would be the student’s responsibility to contact our Humane Educator at suzih@humanesocietyhbg.org and provide her with all paperwork required by the school in advance.

-Another suggestion is to conduct a cash donation drive, following the same procedures above.  The student could designate that the cash be used as Guardian Angel funds for the animal(s) of his/her choice, for our Capital Campaign, and/or as a General Donation to our shelter.

Resource Library
Want more information about caring for pets?  Visit HSHA's resource library for a wealth of downloadable information!

Newsletter
Does your classroom want to receive HSHA's bi-annual newsletter?  If so, contact Suzi Hansel at suzih@humanesocietyhbg.org to be added to our mailing list.

Printable Activities
Humane Society Crossword Puzzle
Crossword Puzzle Answer Key


Contact
HSHA is available to visit your organization with a furry friend to speak about HSHA and to offer any of the programs mentioned above. Examples of places we visit include: Schools, Senior Centers, YMCA, Preschools, After-School Programs, Churches, Special Needs classes, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, etc.  Contact Humane Educator Suzi Hansel at (717) 564-3320 x114 or at suzih@humanesocietyhbg.org to schedule a visit.*

*HSHA requests a nominal $25 donation for visits to help with costs.