C.A.R.E.4Paws works to reduce pet overpopulation and improve pet family welfare. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, C.A.R.E.4Paws (Community Awareness, Resources and Education) was founded in 2009 with the goal of preventing dogs and cats from ending up in shelters and improving quality of life for pet families in need in Santa Barbara County. We have since expanded some of our key programs to San Luis Obispo (SLO) County. A cofounder, I started out as a shelter volunteer for Santa Barbara County Animal Services, where I experienced firsthand how dogs and cats were abandoned at an incredibly high rate. I, along with other shelter volunteers, realized that the main contributor to shelter overpopulation was lack of access to affordable pet care, from spays/neuters and veterinary treatment to pet food and animal behavior training. We envisioned that by working directly in the community, providing a safety net of free and low-cost services to pet families in need, they could alter the outcome for animals and the people who love them, preventing suffering and pet homelessness.Over the last 15 years, this vision has become a reality. C.A.R.E.4Paws is a pioneer in what has become a nationwide effort to get vet care to the people who most need it, and for whom it has been inaccessible due to economic limitations, distance from care, language barriers or transportation issues. Locally, shelter intake numbers have been reduced, and robust programs are in place to keep pets with their families for life.Join our team! Because it takes all of us in this community to make a lasting, pawsitive impact.