Volunteer Spotlight: Joe and Zeena Goldenberg

Joe Goldenberg retired three years ago and wanted to volunteer in the St. Louis community. He wanted the volunteer experience to be one that was meaningful to him, so he looked into helping out at the Humane Society of Missouri.

“Since we have had two or three shelter dogs at a time for the last 45 years (four adopted from HSMO), that certainly qualifies!” he says. “The education department was the best fit for me.”

His wife Zeena, upon hearing him talk about his experiences at HSMO, joined him shortly after.

“Working in the education department allows me to do things I really enjoy: working with children, young adults, animals, other volunteers and the staff in the education department,” she says.

The Goldenbergs participate in educational programs at HSMO’s Macklind Avenue headquarters, as well as school and community outreach activities throughout St. Louis. Their work at HSMO often includes leading groups of students or scouts through different age-appropriate stations throughout the building, which can consist of reading to animals, learning how to approach a dog, making cat toys for shelter cats, etc. When they do an outreach program, they often bring one or two of their own dogs (Afi and Gabe are pictured above) as shelter dog ambassadors.

They both find their work with the education department extremely rewarding and say they always leave the programs with a smile.

“The chance to make an impact on children that hopefully makes them more sensitive to the needs and feelings of animals is the most rewarding,” they say. “And when you are kind to animals, you will be kind to humans too.”

The Goldenbergs particularly enjoy leading Shelter Buddies reading sessions, noting that the noisy barking fades away as the dogs begin to calm down and listen to the kids reading to them.

“That connection is a magic moment.”

Like many other volunteers at HSMO, the Goldenbergs recommend looking into volunteering at the shelter and that there is “a place for everyone.”

“The staff members at HSMO are dedicated, caring and considerate to the animals in their care and to all the volunteers. They truly appreciate the individuals who choose to donate their time to help fulfill its special mission.”

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at both of our locations, click here.