Most of us, if given the chance, would lend a helping hand to those in need. But we wouldn't all jump up and head to China to volunteer. However, when Alicia Stacey from Auburn heard that the nonprofit Harbin Slaughterhouse Survivors needed volunteers to escort shipments of rescued dogs out of China, she jumped at the chance to help.

This Thanksgiving, she's heading to China to donate her time to HarbinSHS. They save dogs, cats and other small animals from meat trucks, slaughterhouses, breeding farms, closing shelters and a variety of other circumstances. Alicia plans to escort dogs back to the states on a Freedom Flight in an attempt to avoid he animals falling back in the dangerous hands they were rescued from. She's working on securing a shelter here in Maine to take in some of the dogs but if that doesn't work out, she plans to deviate from her trip home to escort them to another state's shelter.

Before she leaves, Alicia has to get vaccinated for rabies, Typhoid and Hepatitus A & B well before booking the trip and applying for a Visa.

The Unsung Heroes- Episode #1 Harbin China from Culture Pop Films on Vimeo.

When Alicia is asked why she's going all the way to China to help rescue animals, she replies with an explanation borrowed from fellow volunteer Sharon Brew who is in charge of fundraising. “China has no animal welfare laws like the US; dog meat consumption is not against the law however there are no dog farms so these animals are stolen pets, strays or cast offs from breeders. These animals are typically starved, dehydrated, and kept in diseased prone areas before being slaughtered. The dogs rescued by SHS go to existing rescues that already have vetted fosters and adopters. The dogs do not go to communities where there is a saturation of animals in need of homes. 3,000 dogs are slaughtered weekly in the area SHS is located. The dogs that are saved each year are in the hundreds.”

Help Alicia raise money for her vaccinations, travel accommodations, and visa by donating to her GoFundMe. Since we can't all go to China, why not help her help those dogs?