About 300 students from the Inland Empire Job Corps Center fanned out across the region to volunteer their time and energy where they were needed.

17 students from the Business and Finance class were happy to work hands-on with the dogs and cats at the city’s animal shelter.

Ryan Long, registered veterinary technician and kennel supervisor at the shelter, said the students who came out made a huge difference. “The kids helped make the shelter more appealing for adoptions by helping us with beautification and planting, and helping us socialize and feed the animals,” Long said.

Students also scrubbed and disinfected the cages in which dogs would be transported to Oregon, where a no-kill shelter actually requests smaller dogs from the San Bernardino facility.

The San Bernardino shelter is currently home to 575 dogs and cats, and one ferret. Volunteers are especially appreciated since budget cuts have left the shelter with a staff of only six kennel assistants.

At the Frazee Community Center, 13 landscaping students planted trees and flowers in front of their church.

The students also volunteered at Muscoy Elementary School, the Home of Neighborly Service, Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House, the School of Hope, and the center for Individual Development.