Gail Arnold’s Favorite Nonprofits of the Year

As many of you contemplate end-of-year donations, I present here four Santa Barbara–based nonprofits that do extraordinary work. Your donations would enable these organizations to serve more of those in need.

CARE4Paws

This treasured nonprofit provides critical assistance to low-income pet owners, preventing pets from going hungry or without needed veterinary care or from being relinquished to a shelter. With its two mobile clinics, CARE4Paws provides free and low-cost spay and neuter procedures (2,900 procedures this year) and other veterinary and wellness care (more than 16,000 dogs and cats served this year). CARE4Paws also provides free pet food and supplies to low-income and homeless pet owners; provides foster care for pets of domestic violence victims; and funds for veterinary care at other facilities.

The more community support it receives, the more suffering it can alleviate and the more pets who can remain with their owners. Its annual Happy Tails fundraiser is always fun and engaging. Read more about CARE4PAWS here. To make an online donation, go to care4paws.org.

Santa Barbara Rescue Mission

This oh-so-valuable nonprofit provides food and shelter year-round to homeless individuals in our community. By year end, it will have provided nearly 50,000 nights of shelter and more than 75,000 meals. The Santa Barbara Rescue Mission (SBRM) also runs 12-month residential substance abuse treatment programs, which have success rates many times higher than national averages and operating costs that are a fraction of the cost of commercial programs. Since program inception in 1997, more than 1,000 men and women have graduated with their lives truly transformed. 

SBRM receives no government funding, relying on the community for support. Its passionate supporters gather each year at Dos Pueblos Ranch for its fundraiser, the Bayou. Read more about the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission here. To make an online donation, go to sbrm.org.

Immigrant Legal Defense Center

This incredible nonprofit with an amazingly talented and dedicated staff provides legal representation, case management, and therapy to undocumented immigrants struggling in the Tri-County region and facing deportation. Presently, The Immigrant Legal Defense Center (ILDC) represents 290 individuals, 62 percent of whom are children and youth. It maintains a waitlist only for children and youth, which currently stands at more than 100.

With the incoming administration prioritizing mass deportations, ILDC will be ramping up its legal services for detained and non-detained immigrants. Also, it will be hosting several workshops to train community members on immigrant rights so they, in turn, can educate immigrants, with a goal of replacing their fear with knowledge of their rights. 

While ILDC does receive some state funding, community support is crucial to meet the huge demand that already exists, let alone what lies ahead under the new administration. Read more about the Immigrant Legal Defense Center here. To make an online donation, go to sbimmigrantdefense.org.

SEE International

Based in Goleta, this exceptionally impactful nonprofit operates mainly in the developing world, where its 650 volunteer ophthalmologists perform sight-restoring cataract surgeries. Clinics run for a few days to a couple of weeks, with on average 100 people regaining sight. Having volunteer teams, who pay their own travel expenses, coupled with donated and carefully sourced medical supplies enable this efficient nonprofit to turn every $100 donated into the gift of sight for a blind individual. 

Locally, in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, SEE provides free eye exams and glasses, serving 6,000 residents this year. In October, SEE celebrated 50 years and 750,000 sight-restoring surgeries. Read more about SEE International here. To make an online donation, go to seeintl.org.