The #1 priority of the Santa Barbara
County Animal Care Foundation, Inc. is to make a positive impact upon the
lives of companion animals in our local community: one animal at a time, one
family at a time, one neighborhood at a time, one community at a time. There
are many ways that we are working to achieve this.
The SBCACF works to assist the homeless, abandoned and neglected
animals in all three of our local County shelters. We are an all-volunteer
organization and 100% of all donations go make a direct difference to the
innocent lives within our local shelters. Our money does not go to the
County of Santa Barbara. The SBCACF was formed to provide philanthropic
support to enhance what the County Animal Services is obligated to provide
our community. Our SBCACF directors review requests made through the shelter
and based upon research and pertinent information decide if the request
meets the guidelines of our values, our vision and our mission, and how we
can best meet these needs. Payments are made directly to vendors to purchase
equipment and/or pay for life changing surgeries.
The SBCACF was instrumental in bridging the financial gap that caused
an ongoing hold on the Santa Maria Animal Center. The project had been on
the books for 12 years and with each additional year that passed the need
for the new building became more and more desperate. The SBCACF was able to
raise close to one-million dollars through fundraising, donations and
generous grants, to get the project back on track again. Because of our
diligence and the community's dedication and interest the Santa Maria Animal
Center is no longer a dream, but a reality. The building of this new shelter
is a stepping stone to continue the mission of our Foundation. The Animal
Care Foundation Spay and Neuter Clinic is named in our honor as we strive to
make an active difference one life at a time, whether it be through feral
cat spay/neuter support, alterations for shelter adoptions, or low cost
incentives this clinic is a blessing to many creatures as they are given a
second chance at life.
Many animals that enter the doors of our local shelters are in need of
medical attention to become adoptable. Whether it be a car accident, an
abandoned animal on the run, an overwhelmed owner, or a sick or deformed
baby dumped by a profit oriented breeder there is a daily need for medical
treatment. The cost of medical care is expensive. Even with the generosity
of local vets and budgeted county funding there are many animals that sadly
cannot be treated because of the cost. The SBCACF Sebastian Medical
Treatment Fund was established in the Spring of 2003 to help with this need.
Our vision is that someday no adoptable homeless or rehabilitatable animal
will be euthanized within Santa Barbara County. Our Sebastian fund is
currently actively making an impact by benefiting hundreds of these helpless
and innocent local creatures.
The Santa Barbara County
Animal Care Foundation understands the importance of our community’s youth
and the value of education as an investment in our county’s future. Our
HOPE Project (Humane Outreach through Progressive Education) reaches out to
young people by providing tools for them to make good decisions, identify
local issues, and offers the seeds of responsible pet stewardship. This
program has touched hundreds of elementary school children throughout our
county. The CAMP HOPE program offers a variety of hands-on teaching modes
that expand on the topics of pet responsibility, pet overpopulation, and the
awareness of important animal issues wrapped into a week long summer day
camp. Workshop HOPE offers youth a full day of animal experience and
learning.
How we treat our companion animals is reflective of what we know.
Sometimes unintentional community ignorance leads to heartbreaking
realities. Through public outreach the SBCACF shares information with our
community to empower them to make informed decisions for a better tomorrow.
A respect for oneself and others can be enhanced through education and
increasing ones knowledge base. By reaching out to the public we can cause a
ripple to actively shape our community through the promotion of humane ethic
and the responsible treatment of all animals.