Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation

Your gift can go twice as far - $20,000 in matches!

The Next Second Chance.

More than 600 animals needed Acorn Acres in 2026. Who will be next?

A baby squirrel blown from a nest during a storm.

A cottontail injured by a cat.

A mother opossum struck by a car, with babies still alive in her pouch.

A groundhog needing weeks of specialized medical care.

We never know what the next phone call will bring. We only know there will be a next one.

And when an injured, orphaned, or displaced wild animal needs help, someone has to be ready to say yes.

This ExtraGive, your gift can create The Next Second Chance.

THE NEED KEEPS GROWING

The need for wildlife rehabilitation in our community has grown dramatically.

216 patients in 2024.

More than 630 in 2025.

As of October 15, 2026, we have treated 600 patients with more to come.

Those aren't just numbers.

Each one represents an individual wild animal, and a person who cared enough to find help.

Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation is a 100% volunteer-run nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation and education center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. From mouse to beaver, we provide professional care for Pennsylvania's native prey species, with specialized expertise in squirrels, groundhogs, eastern cottontails, and Virginia opossums.

Our work is backed by more than 16 years of wildlife rehabilitation experience and professional training. Acorn Acres is led by a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator™, a credential earned through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council that reflects advanced knowledge in wildlife rehabilitation standards, animal care, ethics, and professional practice.

Today, animals come to Acorn Acres from communities across 17 counties.

And every patient begins the same way.

Someone asks us for help.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE SAY YES?

Sometimes, it's simple.

Warmth. Proper nutrition. A safe place to grow. Time.

Other times, saying yes means weeks or months of intensive care.

Our patients may need x-rays, anesthesia, prescription medications, wound care, laboratory testing, specialized nutrition, around-the-clock feedings, species-specific housing and specialized care through every stage of recovery before they are ready to return to the wild.

Sometimes diagnostic imaging answers the most important question of all: 

Can this animal be saved?

And when the answer is yes, the work is often only beginning.

Acorn Acres collaborates with local veterinarians, community partners, and respected wildlife organizations to help ensure that the animals entrusted to our care receive the best possible outcomes.

Every bag of formula, every medication, every diagnostic test, every clean enclosure, every meal, every load of laundry and every day of rehabilitation is part of the second chance.

Your support makes saying yes possible.

MORE THAN A WILDLIFE CLINIC

Our facility has also given us something we never had before: the opportunity to bring our community inside.

Through educational programs, special events, open houses, youth programs, and learning from our wildlife ambassadors, visitors can see what professional wildlife rehabilitation really involves - the medicine, nutrition, specialized housing, enrichment, preparation, and enormous amount of work that happens between the intake and release.

That transparency matters.

When people understand what happens after an animal comes through our doors, they also better understand how their own choices affect wildlife.

A child who learns why a rabbit's nest should be left alone.

A homeowner who learns how to safely coexist with a groundhog.

A family who understands why an animal caught by a cat needs immediate professional care.

A community that knows who to call when wildlife needs help.

Education creates second chances, too.

COME SEE WHERE SECOND CHANCES BEGIN

This ExtraGive, we’re opening our doors and inviting you inside!

Friday, November 20, 2026, 5–9 PM, Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation, 2100 Stone Mill Road, Lancaster, PA 

Walk through the clinic. See the spaces where our patients are treated, fed, housed, and prepared for release. Learn what happens after an injured or orphaned wild animal comes through our doors, meet members of the Acorn Acres team, explore hands-on activities, and get a closer look at the people, equipment, and care behind every second chance.

Whether you have supported Acorn Acres for years or are discovering us for the first time, we would love to welcome you.

Come see what your support makes possible — and help us create The Next Second Chance.

THE NEXT CALL IS COMING

We don't know whether the next patient will arrive tonight, tomorrow morning, or during the next storm.

We don't know whether that animal will need one night of care or several months.

We don't know whether the next call will involve a squirrel, an opossum, a rabbit, a groundhog - or something we never expected.

What we do know is that there will be a next call.

And we want to be ready to answer it.

This ExtraGive, help us say yes.

Your gift creates The Next Second Chance.

  

Our Education Room