Tour and Help Suncoast Primate Sanctuary

Meet at the front gate promptly at 9:45 a.m. so we can take a group photo and get a brief introduction of the sanctuary and instructions.

We will volunteer (details below) for 3 hours. We are welcome to bring picnic lunches to have lunch at the sanctuary after volunteering and can stay to explore the sanctuary on our own after we finish our tasks.

Bring water, hats, and sunscreen – we will be outside the entire time. And, as a reminder, people should wear closed toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty. If you have work / gardening gloves and tools bring them.

Age requirement: School age children (5+) are welcome but must be with the adult at all times. Let me know if bringing children to find special projects to do if we have a group of children.

What we would be doing:
We will break the volunteers into a few groups with different activities. You will most likely either be painting, or doing landscaping, cleaning, organizing, etc.

If you have any particular talents like plumbing, woodworking, painting, etc., please let me know in advance and we can create a special project.

This is an odd request, but they always have a need for weed-eating... so if anyone has a weed eater they would be willing to bring and use that would be great.

Parking:
Sanctuary is located at 4600 Alt. 19 in Palm Harbor, just south of the Klosterman / Alt. 19 intersection. If your GPS can’t locate it, the actual name of Alt 19 is Palm Harbor Blvd. The entrance gate is located along Alt. 19 and there are parking spaces along the road. However, most of us will park in the volunteer parking lot. Please fill that first and keep the spaces directly in front of the gate open for handicap visitors. The parking lot is through a gate just south of the main gate, and they will have a sign posted.

Wish List:
Please bring any of the items from the wish list below if you can remember/afford. It's certainly not required, but if you want to help the monkeys and don't know what they need, they've provided this wish list:

• Unsalted mixed nuts - all kinds.
• Garbanzo beans
• Cheerios
• Gluten-free oatmeal and rice cakes
• Unsalted roasted peanuts in the shell
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Unsweetened apple juice
• Sugar free Gatorade
• Sugar free drink mixes (we have a lot of diabetic monkeys)
• Toilet paper and paper towels
• Kitchen sponges
• Garden hose nozzles
• Garbage bags
• Outdoor paint in white or beige (half full cans are great - if anyone has leftover paint in their garage!)
• Paint brushes
• Blank canvases (the chimps love to paint)
• Non toxic paint (for the chimps to paint)
• Ziplock snack bags
• Colored pencils
• Long handled cleaning brushes
• Long handled plastic large spoons
• Post it notes
• Zip ties
• Bungee cords - all lengths (used are fine!)
• Disinfecting wipes
• Cleaning supplies
• Outdoor rated electric cords (used are fine!)

Their Amazon wish list link (which includes toys the primates would like) can be found on their Facebook page and website.

About the Sanctuary

https://www.suncoast-primate.org/

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 volunteer-run organization. The Sanctuary provides a home to more than 100 animals, including chimpanzees, orangutans, monkeys, reptiles, tropical birds and more. Whether rescued from private pet ownership, the exotic pet trade, research laboratories, or retired from the film industry, the Sanctuary provides these magnificent animals with a safe haven where they can live with peace and dignity. With help from our community, through financial donations and volunteering, the Sanctuary is able to maintain a special place for primates, educate the public about zoological and environmental issues and provide community service opportunities and educational internships.