Photo by volunteer Derek Bowers
Caring for animals and the earth is not only a privilege it is our responsibility. It is responsibility we take seriously, but at the same time we feel learning about the animals is fun and rewarding. Be sure to visit often to follow our farmhouse adventures, keep up to date on what’s new at the farmhouse, learn fun facts and how to care for farm, exotic and wild animals and nature through our farmhouse blog. Thank you for stopping by the Farmhouse blog page. Ya’ll come back now ya hear!
Andrea came to us when she was looking for an animal organization to volunteer at after her career changed from working with animals to working at home behind a desk due to COVID. She stumbled upon FANS through an internet search. Andrea is part of our morning feed and clean crew, where she comes to the farm once a week and takes care of feeding the animals and cleaning up their feed areas and habitats.
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by Sandra Krug Carrie Burns has been a resident of Manatee County for most of her life. She became involved with Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary (FANS) because her parents, Dave and Lisa Burns, run the rescue. Carrie always had a love and a soft spot for animals. She knew right away; she had to be around them. Carrie serves on the Board of Directors for FANS. Since moving to Lakeland Carrie switched from being
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Volunteers play a strategically important role in animal rescue. It also gives you the chance to contribute every day to the kind of community and world in which you want to live. Cara was in a local community Facebook page and saw that they were looking for items to auction for a fundraising event. Being a groomer and loving animals, she chose to offer a gift certificate for her services. After speaking in length with
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In honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, April 18-24, we will be showcasing several volunteers throughout the week. Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization and even though we don’t have time to share all their stories, we appreciate every one of them. We’d like to kick off the week by introducing you to a group of amazing young adults who spend their free time making a difference in their community and beyond, including
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By Sandra Krug Did you know April 11th was national pet day? At FANS we believe every day should be national pet day. Check out why having a pet in your life can be beneficial to you and the animal you choose. Living with and caring for an animal (pet) involves a lot of responsibility. But there are so many advantages of keeping a pet that I think everyone ought to think about it. The
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By Andreana Benitez Did you know there are two types of sloths? There is the three-toed sloth and the two-toed sloth and they make up five different species, including the Pygmy three-toed sloth, the Maned sloth, the pale throated three-toed sloth, the brown throated three-toed sloth and Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth. All of the sloth species live in the lowland tropical forests of Central & South America high up in the forest canopy. Let’s see what
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VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT: Event Helper WORKS WITH: Other volunteers, sanctuary owners LOCATION: Onsite or offsite TIME COMMITMENT: As needed PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS and TRAINING: Sanctuary Orientation Tour of Sanctuary ESSENTIAL SKILLS: Comfortable with public speaking Comfortable working in/at various-paced environments/events Flexible and adaptable to last minute changes ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Front-facing role as a representative for the sanctuary Answer questions about the sanctuary, our mission, and the animals in our care Attend fundraising events and man the FANS
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VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT: Driver WORKS WITH: Sanctuary Owner; Volunteer Coordinator; Other volunteer drivers LOCATION: Remote – Manatee County, Sarasota County, or Charlotte County TIME COMMITMENT: 2-3 hours weekly PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS and TRAINING: Truck or SUV Clean driving record Personal car insurance ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Willing and able to drive on a consistent basis to pick up food donations for sanctuary animals Deliver food donations to sanctuary or meet second driver to hand off food items Familiarity with
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VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT: Gardener WORKS WITH: Mostly independent position LOCATION: Onsite – Myakka sanctuary TIME COMMITMENT: 2-4 hours weekly PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS and TRAINING: None ESSENTIAL SKILLS: Prior experience with growing fruits, vegetables, and plants either professionally or personally ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Rake manure from pastures Remove fallen branches, pinecones and rake leaves from pastures Pull weeds from plant beds and surrounding areas Assist in mulching projects Replace/Remove dead plants from habitats Assist in facility beautification projects when
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VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT: Morning/Evening Feed and Clean Crew WORKS WITH: Mostly independent position LOCATION: Onsite – Myakka sanctuary TIME COMMITMENT: 2-4 hours weekly PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS and TRAINING: In- Person Shadowing ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Distribute food for multiple species of animals accurately Replenish & clean water of animals Muck Horse stalls Remove fecal and urine matter from walkways and animal housing General cleaning of walkways and pastures Observant and report potential health or behavioral issues to owners Willing
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