Click the button below to make a donation through our USAePay portal!

Checks can be made payable to Ames Animal Shelter and mailed to Ames Animal Shelter, 515 Clark Ave., Ames, IA  50010.

You can also make a donation in person at our facility, 325 Billy Sunday Road, Ames, IA 50010.

The Ames Animal Shelter will not, in any circumstances, share your personal information with other individuals or organizations without your permission, except when applicable by law. 

Our Amazon Wish List is updated regularly with our most current needs for donations. It is available at Amazon.com.

Our General Wish List

(Our Wish List PDF Download(PDF, 130KB) )

(Things we do NOT accept would be: Human pillows/mattresses, blankets/towels with stains/tears, and frozen/refrigerated pet food)

Donations of Pet Food: The brands listed below are the brands we feed at the shelter. We try to keep a consistent diet to avoid an upset stomach from constant diet changes for our residents. We will accept all brands of food for dispersal to the community for families in need, and will also accept open bags of dry food that is still relatively fresh.

For Cleaning

• Antibacterial Hand Soap
• Rescue Disinfectant Wipes
• Rescue Disinfectant Concentrate
• Laundry Detergent
• Dryer Sheets
• Paper Towels
• Dawn Dishwashing Soap
• Towels & Washcloths

Gift Cards

• Amazon.com
• Brekke’s Town and Country Store
• Lowes
• Grooming Salons
• Menards
• Petco
• PetSmart
• Staples
• Target
• Theisen’s
• Treats on a Leash
• Staples
• Walmart

Feeling crafty! We love that! Below are some of the homemade items we love to receive:

***T-Shirt tie tug toys have been a choking hazard for dogs, so we are no longer able to accept these.***

Homemade Pet Treats

• Requirements: Must be baked (no refrigerated treats, please, as these are hard to store). Please review all ingredients and ensure they are pet-safe before using, and include the list of your ingredients with the treats when dropping them off at the shelter

Handmade Pet Blankets

• You can see a great Youtube Tutorial Video for how to make No-Sew/Tie blankets. These are so easy, most people can make them! For those with basic sewing machine experience, you can sew blankets with a soft liner on the inside for an extra luxurious blanket for a furry friend!
• Sizes: Ideal blanket sizes are 21 inches x 15 inches for cats, 50 inches x 36 inches for dogs. For tied edges blankets, you'll generally want to add another 3ish inches for the ties. For sewed edges, a typical 1/4-1/2 inch seam allowance works well.
• Materials: Most of our animals prefer the comfort of fleece or other soft, cozy materials. However, other materials in good shape with no tears/stains are also perfectly okay.
• Requirements: Any blankets should be without tears or stains. We want our animals to look their best as well as be safe in their kennels! For tie blankets, some children may need adults to help them make sure the knots are super tight. Loosely tied knots come undone easily in our wash. We also ask that they not be excessively stuffed with fiberfill or any other stuffing that would turn them into pillows rather than blankets, as these are VERY hard for us to wash and dry appropriately.

First Aid Kits

• You can put together a kit of basic first aid supplies to go home with adopters of new pets! You can view a checklist from the American Veterinary Medical Association. You can also include the brochure with the kit.
• Requirements: Please do not include any medications or documents of medical advice. Stick to the items on the brochure!

Adoption Thank You/Congratulations Cards

• This was is super fun (and adorable) for little animal lovers! Children can write cards to go home with animals who have just been adopted. This adds to an adopters joy and excitement when adopting, and allows children and opportunity to discuss with adults the benefits of adopting furry friends.
• Requirements: None! Have fun with it!

Have another idea? Call us at 515-239-5530 and we'd be happy to discuss it with you!

Want to get your peers and/or community involved in donating money to the shelter? Here are some ideas! Most of these ideas can also be converted into events for collecting items for donation as well!

Hold a Bottle/Can Drive

This project can be especially popular in the summer with all of the outdoor festivities and picnics. People sometimes accumulate more bottles or cans than they have time to turn in for the recycling refund. You can post flyers in businesses (with their approval) or post on social media that you will pick up cans/bottles to donate funds to the shelter. This can also be done in your place of work or your school (with employer or school administration approval, of course!).

Have a Garage Sale, Car Wash, Lemonade Stand, Baked Good Stand, or More

You wouldn't believe how popular these can be! Put up a sign at our event to let people know the money will go to the animal shelter. Advertise with flyers, signs, and social media posts to draw a crowd. If you're having an event or stand, let us know and our Animal Rescue Unit vehicle may be able to stop by to say hello!

Start a Coin Drive

Talk to your schools administration or employer to arrange a coin drive, or even a penny war! Pit groups against each other (Iowa State vs Iowa, Favorite Marvel/DC Super Hero, Favorite Cartoon, whatever will get people going!) and give them a deadline to see which group drops in the most money!

Put Together a Raffle Basket

Get local pet-loving businesses to donate goods or gift certificates for a raffle basket. Then have people make a small donation for a ticket, then gift the basket to the winner!

Give an Animal-Themed Reading

Ask your local library, nursery school, or daycare center if you can come in and read animal-themed books to young children. Put out a donation basket for library attendees to donate, or ask the nursery or daycare's staff to let parents know they can send a donation with their children the day you'll be reading.

Give an Announcement

Does your workplace or school have a morning announcement? Ask if you can have a moment to talk about the animal shelter and encourage donations. Ask the office if they'll keep out a donation basked the day of your announcement.

Collect Donations at a School Dance

Ask the school dance's committee to help collect donations for the shelter! The theme for the night could be tied in with animals or giving, and collect donations of money or items at a table.