PAWS Chicago, the Midwest’s largest comprehensive No Kill animal welfare organization, and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced a volunteer program that supports the need for more PAWS animal-handling volunteers while serving as a wellness initiative for Sheriff’s Office staff. Through the program, Sheriff’s Office employees will walk dogs and participate in cat enrichment activities at the PAWS Chicago Medical Center, the largest homeless pet hospital in the United States. The program will help PAWS Chicago meet a rising need for volunteers, because while adoptions and other animal welfare programs have now returned to pre-pandemic levels, volunteer hours have not. With over 2,000 Sheriff’s Office employees located just a mile away from the nation’s premier homeless pet hospital, the new program will support a growing need at PAWS Chicago: more volunteers to help with socialization of healing pets. It will also help animal-loving staff at the Sheriff’s Office reduce stress and decompress while giving back to the community. For information on volunteering with PAWS Chicago, email volunteers@pawschicago.org