Team Member volunteer spotlight: Matt Downing

 

 

 

Matt Downing, Buyer’s Specialist at The Ida Terbet Group, was recently featured in the Saving Grace Animals For Adoption‘s newsletter for his volunteer work with their organization!

 

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Matt, Lori and Reagan Downing have made volunteering at Saving Grace a family affair. They each have different aspects in which they help make this organization fabulous. Thank you to each of you for your time and compassion for the animals.

Lori ~ Saving Grace has been a wonderful blessing for our family. We have learned to work along side as well as with each other in a way that would have never been possible without this rescue. I think Matt and I both thoroughly enjoy the satisfaction of coming into a shift working with a menagerie of hungry bellies, in my case who are barking, and leaving a house full of snoozing, fully exercised and satisfied animals. I look forward to working every shift as a shift leader 3 times a week and have met wonderful folks many of whom I now consider friends. My family also fosters both puppies as well as expectant mothers and new mothers. I get to spend a lot of time with my daughter while caring for our fosters, often laughing and enjoying the fun and joy to be had in participating in these little lives. I know my daughter will remember the time we shared and the memories as she grows up and moves on with her own pursuits. For that, I will be forever grateful.

Reagan ~ I love Saving Grace and I love to help any way that I can. My family fosters puppies and my favorite is when we have a mom and her puppies. I love to watch them grow and love their snuggles. It’s usually my job to take care of the baby puppies and clean up after them while my mom takes care of the momma dogs. I’ve learned to do laundry as there is a lot of that and I’ve learned how to wean puppies and how their moms teach them manners and good behavior. Right now we are watching a mom and her 11 babies! I love coming home to see them after a long day at school and in the morning when I wake up. When I’m not helping fostering, I like to help Ms. Molly however I can. I fold cards and newsletters when they need help and also do other organization projects.

Matt ~ We have all found a way to help at Saving Grace. While I initially went through orientation to work with the dogs, I have found true pleasure in my focus on the farm animals. Having no experience around cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens there has been a learning curve for just about everything. I have also had the pleasure of sharing some of this learning and experience with my daughter which is very special. In my time at Saving Grace I have helped to rehab injured pigs, participated in raising baby pigs and a baby goat as well. I find immense satisfaction in making sure these portly, snorting, mooing and jumping (goats that is) farm animals are happy, healthy and well fed when I walk out the gates and head home.
This interview was copied from an email newsletter sent by Saving Grace Animals for Adoption. You can learn more about this organization at http://www.savinggracenc.org/

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