Last month, student volunteer Ava Vasquez completed her fourth annual pet food drive at Vieja Valley Elementary School in Santa Barbara, collecting an impressive 1,230 pounds of pet food. The donations will support C.A.R.E.4Paws’ Companion Pet Assistance program.
Vasquez takes an active role in the drive by visiting the school to collect donations, answer students’ questions, and encourage participation. At the end of the week-long event, she and a C.A.R.E.4Paws representative weigh each class’s contributions. The class that donates the most pet food earns a pizza party. Afterwards, all the collected food is loaded into a van for distribution to those in need.
“I love seeing the empty van get filled up to the top with so much food, knowing it’s going directly to people in our community who need it,” said Vasquez.
C.A.R.E.4Paws, founded in 2009 by Isabelle Gullö, is a nonprofit that helps families on California’s Central Coast care for their pets amid rising costs and other challenges. The organization supports more than 25,000 pet owners in underserved communities across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Services include free and low-cost veterinary care, behavior training, grooming, and pet food distribution. Since the pandemic began, C.A.R.E.4Paws has provided over six million meals to pets.
Vasquez’s efforts have greatly boosted the organization’s mission. “Ava’s successful annual drive helps support C.A.R.E.4Paws’s pet food distribution in a big way,” said Gullö. “We are so grateful to Ava, her collaborator Luccia Macaluso, and the students and teachers at Vieja Valley Elementary. This fundraiser truly embodies community supporting community. We hope Ava’s compassion will inspire more students to organize fundraisers for causes close to their hearts.”
Related topics:
Corn Shortage in Brazil Puts Pressure on Pet Food Industry
Hyderabad Startup Appoints Golden Retriever as Chief Happiness Officer
Governor Kay Ivey Welcomes Huntley, New First Dog of Alabama
