When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf coast, many pets suffered along with their owners. The independent non-profit Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (la-spca.org/education/volunteer_ops.htm) worked with other agencies to rescue more than 8,500 animals.

Because the SPCA's shelter and its veterinary clinic in New Orleans' 9th Ward were destroyed by the storm, the animals have been placed in a converted warehouse in Algiers, another neighborhood of the city. As the organization rebuilds, CEO Laura Maloney is seeking help with public relations and marketing, business planning, and financial forecasting for its new clinic and Doggy Day Care business. She also asks for donations of educational videos and books on pet management and volunteer help with training the SPCA's pet-care staff, many of whom are new to the industry. "We lost nearly 80 percent of our staff after the storm," says Maloney.