Interested in making a difference in your community? One of the best places to volunteer may be right near you: an animal shelter or animal protection organization.

Whether you walk dogs at your shelter, stuff envelopes for an educational mailing or assist with a fund-raising event, you can make a difference in the lives of animals. When you give animals the gift of your time, you’ll get back as much as you give—maybe even more.

Here are just a few of the benefits of volunteering:

• Be part of the solution. You’ll join a network of hundreds of thousands of people working to make the world safe and more humane for all living creatures. You’ll make the jobs of everyone working for animals a little easier by lending a hand and spreading the message of responsible pet ownership.

• Get warm fuzzies. You’ll never find a more grateful and accepting comrade than an animal you have comforted. Who can’t use another loyal support in life?

• Keep good company. You’ll make lots of new friends—and not just the four-legged kind. Working side by side with people who share similar interests can forge lifelong friendships.

• Meet the new you. You’ll discover skills you never knew you had, and you may be surprised at what you’re capable of achieving.

• Gain a new career. You’ll learn things that may lead you to the career—or career change—of your dreams. Employers and college admissions officers look favorably on time spent in volunteer service.

• Enjoy a wagging tail, a purr, and a smile. Didn’t someone once say that the best things in life are free?