'Tis the season to support C.A.R.E.4Paws' Donation Drive-Thru & Home for the Holidays Adoption Festival!
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Season's greetings!
First off, we're excited to invite you to our Donation Drive-Thru & Home for the Holidays Adoption Festival on Saturday, December 4, from 10am to 2pm. Hosted at Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara and the Elks Lodge in Santa Maria, our event raises resources to keep pets healthy and with their families for life and also inspires forever homes for animals from local shelters and rescue groups. Learn more below, including about our sponsorship opportunities and family photos with Santa!
It's hard to believe that we're 20 months into a pandemic that has changed life dramatically for so many community members and their pets. Since the start of COVID-19, C.A.R.E.4Paws has tripled the number of pet families we help annually through our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach, Companion Pet Assistance and Safe Haven programs, from 7,000 to more than 20,000.
It's only with YOUR support that we can continue to work directly in the community and provide critical support to those in need. As you'll see below, we have accomplished so much this year, and we have great plans for 2022 to help even more animals!
Thank you for being a part of C.A.R.E.4Paws.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and stay pawsitive!
Isabelle Gullo
Executive Director & Cofounder
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Together, we improve animal welfare, prevent suffering and curb pet overpopulation |
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The impact of our community clinics |
It's been another record year for our Mobile Community Medicine & Spay/Neuter Outreach program, which provides free and low-cost wellness services to pet families in need. Our hard-working team is on track to spay/neuter and provide medical care to 4,000 dogs and cats. We will host 215 clinic days, compared to 140 clinics in 2019. To accommodate the huge demand for help, we frequently operate both mobile units during events. In fact, we’re fundraising to buy a third, larger mobile unit so we can host additional clinic days and assist more pets in need in 2022 and beyond. To support our fundraising campaign, please contact isabelle@care4paws.org.
Starting on February 20, 2022, we will expand to host spay/neuter and vaccine clinics in San Luis Obispo County (SLO) with SLO’s Animals in Need Fund and Animal Shelter Adoption Partners (ASAP). Stay tuned for updates.
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Santa Barbara resident Carole Smeathen sent us a sweet note about how we helped her pup Lola with a shot for severe skin allergies. “She was so itchy and miserable she could not even sleep,” says Carole. “I appreciate your help so much and so does Lola, who’s a rescue and an adorable and happy girl.” |
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A happy tail from Courtney and Dolly |
Earlier this year, Courtney Vasquez learned that her beloved kitty, Dolly, has stomatitis, a painful inflammation of the mouth. Courtney worried as she could not afford the vet care that Dolly needed, but C.A.R.E.4Paws' clinic team came to the rescue. "Dr. Tom Thompson and the staff went out of the box thinking of solutions. For six months, we saw them every two weeks,” says Courtney. “And now, Dolly is better than ever. She’s playing, eating and has an appetite that just won’t quit! Bringing Dolly to the clinic was the best decision I ever made. Because of C.A.R.E.4Paws, she’s getting what she needs.” We thank PetSmart Charities for contributing to the medical services for Dolly and so many pets in need! |
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"Throughout the years, Hershey, my 13-year-old lab-pitbull mix, has gone to C.A.R.E.4Paws for his medical issues," says Rita Baldarez. "They have helped me tremendously with appointments and pet food. They are so kind and really care." We send a big thank you to Grey Muzzle Organization for its generous grants to support senior pups like Hershey. |
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Pet food and support for thousands of families |
Through our Companion Pet Assistance program, we continue to distribute several tons of food weekly, countywide. We provide food during all mobile clinic days and through events with Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and People Helping People. We still deliver food to homebound seniors and senior centers and co-operate 10 Pet Resource Centers, where families can pick up pet food and sign up for wellness services.
We also still support homeless community members with pet food, supplies and grooming with A’s Mobile Grooming on Thursdays at Alameda Park. In 2022, we plan to offer similar weekly events for homeless individuals in north county. We hope you will support our efforts!
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A pawsitive holiday event |
On Saturday, December 4, we host our Donation Drive-Thru & Home for the Holidays Adoption Festival, 10am to 2pm, at two locations:
- Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara (3400 Calle Real)
- The Elks Lodge in Santa Maria (1309 N Bradley Road)
We invite community members to come drop off dry and canned pet food and monetary donations with the C.A.R.E.4Paws team and then visit with adoptable pets from local shelters and rescues. We will offer photos with Santa to benefit C.A.R.E.4Paws. Families that adopt a pet at the festival receive a complimentary photo!
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"If there was a C.A.R.E.4Paws in every city, this world be a much better place," says our friend Ross. "I don’t have the money or credit to take Lui to a vet clinic, but now he gets the help he needs. Lui being healthy makes my life even better!” |
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Pet portraits with WinkFace Photography |
At our Happy Tails live auction in June, our super supporter Lee Heller generously bid on and won a photoshoot with WinkFace Photography. These are the wonderful portraits of her pups Lola and Cinnamon, printed as metal wall art. Thank you, Lee and Wendy Domanski with Winkface!
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With love from Petco and other supporters |
C.A.R.E.4Paws was recently awarded a $5,000 spay/neuter grant from Petco Love in support of a shared vision to prevent suffering, save lives and keep pet families healthy and strong. We are very grateful for the generous grants and funding from so many foundations, organizations and business partners. You make our work possible! |
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Kudos to our pet food collaborators |
Our pet food distribution services are possible not only thanks to our fantastic donors and grantors, but because of so many business and nonprofit partners that help us by hosting food drives and/or housing donation drop-off stations. See our list of partners below. We are also grateful for the many individuals, like Marilyn Makepeace, who donate food via our Amazon Wish List. For our upcoming Donation Drive-Thru & Home for the Holidays Adoption Festival, we invite more local businesses as well as schools to host donation drives for us!
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A heartfelt thanks to Dioji K-9 Resort & Athletic Club, Plaza Deli, Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, Montecito Pet Shop, ResQcats, La Cumbre Feed, Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society/DAWG, ASAP, Santa Barbara County Animal Services, CAPA, Advanced Veterinary Specialists, Animal Medical Clinic, Healthy Pet, Lompoc’s Home Depot, Roots Dispensary, Hardy Diagnostics, Coldwell Banker Realty in Montecito, Deckers, Barkin Park Lompoc, First United Methodist Church of Lompoc, Fedex, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara Humane, George Pet Shop, Ventura’s PetSmart, and Mari Callahan’s class at Coldsprings School. |
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We have a new fan in Rick Springfield! And he's got his biggest fan in our Community Programs Coordinator, Wendy Domanski. “I’m very grateful to C.A.R.E.4Paws for the work they do, reducing pet overpopulation and keeping pets with their families for life,” he says. “I support them and so should you.” Thank you, Rick, for the pawsitive endorsement! |
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We can't thank all of our volunteers enough, including Thursday's food distribution team at Santa Ynez Mission, featured in the above photo. We received this nice note from Peggy Cano after she received help from our kind crew. “I just rescued two sick little kittens and didn’t realize how much it would cost me. You guys are super friendly and caring. How awesome is that in today’s world?” |
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We loved having supporter Donna Peterson work in the mobile clinic as “vet for a day,” a live auction package she won during our Happy Tails event. “Your team functions so well together and everyone was very welcoming,” says Donna (in the middle of the top photo). “Your services provide needed treatment with a loving approach and your staff is respectful and kind. Thank you for creating such a caring environment.” We also enjoyed a visit from Katie Beausoleil from Atlas Rehabilitation for Canines (in the blue surgery cap in the bottom photo). |
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We’ve received wonderful press that highlights our community work, including in 805 Living magazine, Best Friends magazine, the Independent, SB News-Press and Montecito and Santa Barbara Neighbors magazines, plus on KEYT and KCOY. Find it all at care4paws.org/media along with great new videos featuring our programs and the families we help!
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Do you or someone you know need support for your pets? Please visit our website to learn about the many services we provide.
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