Source: C.A.R.E.4Paws

On Friday, January 15, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to Santa Barbara County nonprofit C.A.R.E.4Paws outside the organization’s mobile veterinary clinic at the Santa Barbara Fraternal Order of Eagles. The award acknowledges the critical services that C.A.R.E.4Paws has provided to the community since its founding in 2009 and the organization’s unparalleled efforts to support pet owners during COVID-19.

“Our goal is to reduce pet overpopulation and ensure that pets don’t suffer or end up in shelters due to lack of resources in the family,” says C.A.R.E.4Paws’ executive director and cofounder Isabelle Gullo. “It’s a tremendous honor for our team to receive this congressional award and recognition for our services, especially through the pandemic, when the community has needed us more than ever.”

On Friday, Rep. Carbajal handed the certificate to Gullo as well as C.A.R.E.4Paws’ cofounder and mobile clinic manager Carlos Abitia, board president Chris Harris and treasurer Kathryn Courain. He thanked the organization for the “work you do, day in and day out, for our four-legged friends and pet owners and, in particular, those who have less means and need the extra support to be able to care for their pets.” He added, “We all know that pets provide increased quality of life for anyone who is lucky enough to have a pet. What you do for our community is extraordinary. You do it graciously. You do it very generously and selflessly.”

As more Santa Barbara County pet owners than ever struggle to provide for their animals during COVID-19, C.A.R.E.4Paws stepped up its efforts significantly in March 2020 and has provided a record-number of services to those in need since. This includes 2,000 free spay and neuter surgeries performed in the mobile clinic last year, compared to 1,300 surgeries in 2019. It also includes the assistance with low-cost and free veterinary care for 1,800 dogs and cats, an increase from 1,170 in 2019. Last year, C.A.R.E.4Paws hosted 190 surgery days and low-cost vaccine clinics, up from 140 clinics the previous year.

Also in response to COVID-19, C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Companion Pet Assistance program has distributed more than four tons of pet food weekly since March 2020, assisting low-income, senior, disabled and homeless pet owners countywide. In comparison, the organization distributed about two tons of food total in 2019. C.A.R.E.4Paws distributes pet food at all of its mobile veterinary clinic days and participates in several weekly distribution events with agencies such as the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and People Helping People. Its Mobile Pet Meals team delivers pet food directly to seniors stuck in their homes and ensures that senior centers and low-income housing facilities have access to its services, too.

Additionally, C.A.R.E.4Paws provides support for pets of domestic violence survivors through its Safe Haven program, in partnership with Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS), and assists homeless community members with various wellness services, including dog grooming. The organization also still operates its Paws Up For Pets youth program, which promotes compassion and accountability for animals and empathy in our community as a whole.

The demand for C.A.R.E.4Paws’ services has been so significant that the organization doubled its budget in 2020 to more than $1 million. Thankfully, as expenses increased substantially, so did the support from donors, foundations, business and nonprofit partners as well as volunteers, says Gullo, adding that the Congressional award is a testament to how everyone is coming together to make a “pawsitive” impact.

She also notes that the demand for help is not diminishing and will not decrease for months to come. “We are working hard to raise funds so that we can continue assisting the community at this level in 2021 and beyond, if needed. If we don’t provide resources to those who are struggling, pets are more likely to suffer and at higher risk of ending up in shelters, which is heartbreaking for the whole family. The goal is to keep pets happy, healthy and homebound.”

To support C.A.R.E.4Paws’ efforts, visit care4paws.org. To contact the organization, email info@care4paws.org or call 805-968-2273.

By MALEA MARTIN

JANUARY 21, 2021

CARE4Paws, an organization with a mission to keep animals happy, healthy, and with their families for life, recently received some special recognition for the critical services it provides to animals in Santa Barbara County.

Standing next to CARE4Paws’ mobile veterinary clinic, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) presented the organization with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition on Jan. 15.

“We all know that pets provide increased quality of life for anyone who is lucky enough to have a pet. What you do for our community is extraordinary,” Carbajal said, according to a statement from CARE4Paws.

The award acknowledged the services provided since the organization’s inception in 2009, but also specifically recognized the unparalleled level of work achieved since the start of COVID-19. CARE4Paws performed 2,000 free spay and neuter surgeries in 2020 at its mobile clinic, as compared with 1,300 in 2019. It gave low-cost and free veterinary care to 1,800 dogs and cats, versus 1,170 in 2019. The organization also hosted 190 surgery days and vaccine clinics in 2020, compared to 140 the previous year. CARE4Paws additionally ramped up its pet food distribution, giving out more than four tons of pet food weekly since March 2020, compared with two tons in all of 2019.

“Congressman Carbajal has known about CARE4Paws for a long time, and he even volunteered at a fundraiser we did many years ago,” Executive Director and Co-founder Isabelle Gullo told New Times. “The office contacted us and told us we were receiving the award, and we were of course very excited about that.”

Gullo added that 65 percent of the services her organization provides are to animals in Lompoc and the Santa Maria Valley. With the county Animal Services’ Lompoc shelter still temporarily closed, CARE4Paws stepped up to help fill that gap.

“We are doing a lot more pet food distribution in North County than we’ve ever done before,” she said. “In Lompoc, every Sunday we are at Ryon Park to distribute pet food, and we are also there every first Sunday of the month with both of our mobile clinics.”

Gullo said no decisions have been made yet about the future of the Lompoc shelter, “but we will know a lot more in the next month or so,” she added.

With the demand for CARE4Paws’ services higher than ever, the organization had to double its budget in 2020. Gullo said this was only made possible thanks to generous donors and community support.

“We’re receiving a lot of new support, as well as continued support from loyal donors,” Gullo said. “In addition to that, we have a lot of nonprofit and business partners who are hosting fundraisers for us to bring in pet food and money. There’s so many people and agencies and foundations coming together to help us do our work.” 

Santa Barbara County, Calif., January 19, 2021 – On Friday, January 15, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to Santa Barbara County nonprofit C.A.R.E.4Paws outside the organization’s mobile veterinary clinic at the Santa Barbara Fraternal Order of Eagles. The award acknowledges the critical services that C.A.R.E.4Paws has provided to the community since its founding in 2009 and the organization’s unparalleled efforts to support pet owners during COVID-19.

“Our goal is to reduce pet overpopulation and ensure that pets don’t suffer or end up in shelters due to lack of resources in the family,” says C.A.R.E.4Paws’ executive director and cofounder Isabelle Gullo. “It’s a tremendous honor for our team to receive this congressional award and recognition for our services, especially through the pandemic, when the community has needed us more than ever.”

On Friday, Rep. Carbajal handed the certificate to Gullo as well as C.A.R.E.4Paws’ cofounder and mobile clinic manager Carlos Abitia, board president Chris Harris and treasurer Kathryn Courain. He thanked the organization for the “work you do, day in and day out, for our four-legged friends and pet owners and, in particular, those who have less means and need the extra support to be able to care for their pets.” He added, “We all know that pets provide increased quality of life for anyone who is lucky enough to have a pet. What you do for our community is extraordinary. You do it graciously. You do it very generously and selflessly.”

As more Santa Barbara County pet owners than ever struggle to provide for their animals during COVID-19, C.A.R.E.4Paws stepped up its efforts significantly in March 2020 and has provided a record-number of services to those in need since. This includes 2,000 free spay and neuter surgeries performed in the mobile clinic last year, compared to 1,300 surgeries in 2019. It also includes the assistance with low-cost and free veterinary care for 1,800 dogs and cats, an increase from 1,170 in 2019. Last year, C.A.R.E.4Paws hosted 190 surgery days and low-cost vaccine clinics, up from 140 clinics the previous year.

Also in response to COVID-19, C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Companion Pet Assistance program has distributed more than four tons of pet food weekly since March 2020, assisting low-income, senior, disabled and homeless pet owners countywide. In comparison, the organization distributed about two tons of food total in 2019. C.A.R.E.4Paws distributes pet food at all of its mobile veterinary clinic days and participates in several weekly distribution events with agencies such as the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County and People Helping People. Its Mobile Pet Meals team delivers pet food directly to seniors stuck in their homes and ensures that senior centers and low-income housing facilities have access to its services, too.

Additionally, C.A.R.E.4Paws provides support for pets of domestic violence survivors through its Safe Haven program, in partnership with Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS), and assists homeless community members with various wellness services, including dog grooming. The organization also still operates its Paws Up For Pets youth program, which promotes compassion and accountability for animals and empathy in our community as a whole.

The demand for C.A.R.E.4Paws’ services has been so significant that the organization doubled its budget in 2020 to more than $1 million. Thankfully, as expenses increased substantially, so did the support from donors, foundations, business and nonprofit partners as well as volunteers, says Gullo, adding that the Congressional award is a testament to how everyone is coming together to make a “pawsitive” impact.

She also notes that the demand for help is not diminishing and will not decrease for months to come. “We are working hard to raise funds so that we can continue assisting the community at this level in 2021 and beyond, if needed. If we don’t provide resources to those who are struggling, pets are more likely to suffer and at higher risk of ending up in shelters, which is heartbreaking for the whole family. The goal is to keep pets happy, healthy and homebound.”To support C.A.R.E.4Paws’ efforts, visit care4paws.org. To contact the organization, email info@care4paws.org or call 805-968-2273.

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition Friday afternoon to C.A.R.E.4Paws.

Isabelle Gullo, the longtime nonprofit’s executive director and co-founder, received the framed certificate from the congressman outside C.A.R.E.4Paws’ mobile clinic at the Santa Barbara Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Rep. Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, praised the nonprofit for its great work throughout Santa Barbara County for dogs, cats and pet owners in need.

“We all know pets provide an increased quality of life for anyone who is lucky enough to have a pet. What you do for our community and everyone, I think is extraordinary. You do it graciously. You do it very generously, very selflessly,” the congressman said on an unseasonably warm but comfortable afternoon. 

Watching on were Chris Harris, the C.A.R.E.4Paws board president; Kathryn Courain, treasurer; and Carlos Abitia, co-founder and mobile clinic manager.

Everyone was socially distanced and wearing masks, but it was clear that the congressman was smiling.

“It is a real honor for me to present this certificate to you,” Rep. Carbajal told Ms. Gullo.

She replied, “Thank you so much. This is a great honor for us. We truly appreciate it.”

The congressman, who plans to return to Washington, D.C., in time for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ inauguration Wednesday, thanked Ms. Gullo and her associates for their hard work in fundraising and helping the community.

Ms. Gullo acknowledged that C.A.R.E.4Paws is a team effort. Last year the nonprofit distributed somewhere between 150 and 170 tons of free pet food and performed 2,000 free spay and neuter surgeries.

In 2020, the nonprofit provided general medical care for more than 2,000 pets.

In a normal year, C.A.R.E.4.Paws helps 5,000 families but saw that number triple in 2020 as needs grew during the pandemic, Ms. Gullo previously told the News-Press.

On Friday, she told Rep. Carbajal, “It really takes a village to make this work. So we appreciate your support.”

C.A.R.E.4Paws distributed two tons of free pet food in all of 2019 to people in need.

Since March, that amount skyrocketed to somewhere between 150 and 170 tons.

That’s unprecedented for the nonprofit, which is doing more work than ever to help low-income pet owners and seniors hit hard by the pandemic and an economy that took a nosedive.

“In a normal year, we usually help more than 5,000 families,” Isabelle Gullo, C.A.R.E.4Paws executive director and co-founder, told the News-Press this week. “Because of the pandemic, those numbers are blown out of the water.

“This year, it’s thousands more,” Ms. Gullo said. “The number has tripled.”

Other numbers tell the story as well.

The nonprofit, which offers medical services throughout Santa Barbara County in its mobile clinic, saw its free spay and neuter surgeries grow from 1,300 in 2019 to 2,000 last year, Ms. Gullo said.

And the number of pets receiving general medical care increased from 1,170 in 2019 to more than 1,800 last year, she said. 

In addition to the free spay and neuter surgeries, C.A.R.E.4Paws offers low-cost services varying from vaccines to dental cleanings and treatments for skin conditions and ear and eye infections.

“We’ve added mobile clinic days, from 140 clinic days in 2019 to 190 in 2020,” Ms. Gullo said. “That’s a big jump. We’ve kept adding clinic days to make sure we can accomodate the need.”

C.A.R.E.4Paws also provides foster care and boarding for dozens of pets of domestic violence survivors. And the nonprofit supplies grooming, pet food, veterinary care and other services for more than 500 homeless people.

Fortunately, donations are keeping up with the need, Ms. Gullo said. She noted C.A.R.E.4Paws’ budget grew from $560,000 in 2019 to more than $1 million last year.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in our expenses, but we’ve also received more income from donors and granters than ever before,” she said.

In addition to money, C.A.R.E.4Paws has received donations of pet food and supplies and gets great discounts from Lemos Feed and Pet Supply, Ms. Gullo said.

“We need a lot more help,” she said, noting that people can go to care4paws.org to donate. “The need is not diminishing whatsoever.”

Ms. Gullo and others were volunteers at the Santa Barbara County Animal Services shelter on Overpass Road in Goleta when they started C.A.R.E.4 Paws in 2009. They saw a need. (The “C.A.R.E” stands for “Community Awareness, Responsibility, Education.”)

Ms. Gullo said the goal was to always prevent homelessness for animals by providing resources for pet owners with financial challenges.

 

“We wanted to provide a safety net to the public for low-income, seniors, homeless and disabled pet owners to make sure they have access to services that they needed for their dogs and cats,” she said.

Instead of having people come to a specific site, C.A.R.E.4Paws has gone out into the communities throughout Santa Barbara County. And it has done its work with a staff of 10 full- and part-time workers and 30 volunteers who help on a regular basis.

Hiring Wendy Domanski as the community program coordinator has helped a lot, Ms. Gullo said. “We hired her right before the pandemic. We’re a small organization with a small staff, so adding a full-time person was a big jump for us. We could not do it without Wendy.”

During the pandemic, C.A.R.E.4Paws also invested in a Ford van to more easily distribute pet food throughout the county, Ms. Gullo said.

“In general, we have recruited a lot more volunteers for pet food packaging to prepare for the distribution,” Ms. Gullo said. “We have more volunteers at the mobile clinics.”

 

And C.A.R.E.4Paws is continuing its Paws Up For Pets program for youths, which has included summer camps and everyone in masks and properly socially distanced, she said. “It’s so important to show children the importance of compassion and accountability for animals and sympathy for other living beings. We want to be able to run this program year round, with or without a pandemic.

“We still bring in our ambassador pets, which include a few dogs, a cat and a miniature pony,” Ms. Gullo said. “We teach how to interact with the ambassador animals, the importance of veterinary care … We bring in a dog trainer to talk to the children about how to meet a pet for the first time or what to do if you come across a loose dog.”

The Paws Up for Pets program is presented in conjunction with United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County and the YMCA. Ms. Gullo said C.A.R.E.4Paws hopes to expand the program after the pandemic ends and life returns to normal. 

“We’re hoping to increase our presence in the Santa Maria Valley,” she said. “That was the goal for 2020, but the pandemic hit. We had to scale back due to restrictions and schools closing.

“There are still so many unknowns about 2021,” she said. “We hope we can continue expanding the program in the future.”

But Ms. Gullo noted one new program was started. At the United Boys & Girls Clubs in Lompoc, C.A.R.E.4Paws has recruited youths to paint portraits of pets. “People can contact us to have a portrait made of their dog or cat.

“It’s been a huge hit and allows the kids to be creative,” Ms. Gullo said. “Pet owners love getting their portraits back.”