Fall and early winter strain your supplies more than any other season. Dogs and cats come in cold, damp, and hungry. Bedding breaks down faster. Staff burn through gloves, slip leads, and heating pads.

A seasonal shelter supply drive helps you build a cushion before December hits. It also allows your team can focus on care instead of saying “No, sorry, we can’t use this” fifteen times a day.

The trick is getting the drive organized so the items coming through the door match the needs inside your kennels and cat rooms.

Why Fall and Winter Drives Matter

Cold weather changes intake patterns. More stray cats are seen after a frost. Senior animals struggle with the cold, and kittens are often found under porches or sheds. Senior dogs and young puppies also struggle with temperature drops. These animals need warmth and calories immediately.

A organized fall/winter supply drive:

• Builds a cushion before your busiest cold months
• Reduces emergency purchases
• Cuts down on decluttering missions disguised as donations

Get started early, and you’ll thank yourself later.

Figure Out What You Actually Need

Take a quick walk-through with your team and look at what you ran out of last year and what you’re already low on.

Common cold-weather must-haves include:

• Washable bedding
• Heating pads or kitten-safe warming discs
• Canned food (especially kitten and senior)
• Dog coats
• Gloves and weather gear for staff

Keep your list tight. Donors do better with a handful of clear targets than with general suggestions. If space is limited, be honest about what you can store. Nothing slows a shelter down like navigating a hallway full of bulky donations you can’t use until spring.

Build a Donation List That Leaves No Room for Guessing

Donors want to help, but they need direction. Instead of asking for “blankets and bedding,” spell it out:

• “20 medium and 20 large washable dog beds”
• “Kitten-safe heating discs (no auto-shutoff models)”
• “Canned kitten food—Friskies, Fancy Feast, similar brands”
• “These are our last three heating pads.”
• “We’re down to one shelf of canned kitten food.”

If brand or size affects safety, be upfront. It prevents headaches later. Use photos of empty shelves or the exact items you need for attention. Keep posts short and clear. Limit it to item and reason: “Heating discs keep newborns stable during cold nights.”

And don’t forget a short “please avoid” list:

• Pillows
• Electric blankets
• Opened food
• Anything that smells like your basement

Humor helps soften it, but keep it real. Every shelter sees things come through the door that made someone stare at the box and wonder, “Did they mean to bring this?”

Make Drop-Off Simple

A complicated drop-off process will cut donations in half. If donors have to guess where to go, they’ll leave items in random corners of the lobby.

Keep it obvious with:

• Clear signage
• Labeled bins
• A table near the entrance
• Printed drop-off hours
• A “Thank you for supporting our animals this winter” sign

Put down a waterproof mat for soggy winter boxes. Melted ice from someone’s car floor can turn even a sturdy donation box into mush before it reaches your door.

Sort, Store, and Track What You Receive

Sorting can be the easiest part—or the moment everything derails. A little structure makes all the difference.

Create Three Simple Categories

• Ready to Use
• Wash First
• Not Usable

If you don’t know what something is, it probably isn’t usable. One year, a donor dropped off two bags of scented candles and wax warmers “to make the kennel areas feel cozy.” Nice idea, but fragrances can cause respiratory issues and open flames are definitely not allowed. All of it needed to be redirected to a fundraiser – a raffle basket.

Keep your donation categories separate so items don’t get buried mid-season. Store bedding separately for dogs and cats so staff can grab the right size quickly. A simple log helps with next year’s planning and gives leadership something concrete.

Close the Donor Loop With Supporters

Once the drive ends, show people what their donations accomplished.

Share photos of stocked shelves, videos of bedding being set up in cat rooms and kennels, and show off the total of items collected. Thank your donors with a social post or through your newsletter.

After the event, jot down what worked, what didn’t, and what you wish had been donated. Keep it for your next drive. Future-you will appreciate it.