18 Monterey County GIVES! 2024 mcgives.com Animals DONate online mcgives.com Rojan was rehomed to a family, where he excelled in gymkhana with their daughter, winning many awards. Recently, the family faced difficulties, and Rojan was neglected, though not intentionally. We agreed to take him back. He is now 30 years old and showing his age, and we are dedicated to restoring his health so he can live comfortably in his later years.” -Lori Tuttle Marine Life Studies Year Founded: 2006 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 2 paid, 197 volunteers Budget: $325,000 901-3833 marinelifestudies.org Big Idea: Whale entanglements result in slow, painful deaths for these majestic visitors to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. When entanglements happen, Marine Life Studies deploys its rapid response team to rescue these whales. Donations help fund the Whale Entanglement Team (WET)® and the team’s operating vessel, the R/V Current’Sea, maintaining the inflatable boat for instant readiness. Dubbed the whale ambulance, this Big Idea vessel saves marine life and collects critical data to help train future WET® members. “Marine Life Studies’ Whale Entanglement Team plays a vital role in whale disentanglement off the California coast. As the primary response team, they were the perfect partner for The Nature Conservancy’s project to develop Scout, a new telemetry buoy for entanglement response. Scout incorporates major advances in hardware and software, improving response times and success rates for teams like WET®. Marine Life Studies assisted in the testing phase, using their vessel for Scout deployment, tracking and retrieval. They provided valuable feedback on the device’s design and usability, leading the on-water testing at a national disentanglement training for upper-level responders. WET® continues to be integral to the Scout project and a key partner in protecting ocean life.” -Matt Merrifield, Chief Technology Officer, The Nature Conservancy Max’s Helping Paws Year Founded: 2016 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 2 paid, 19 volunteers Budget: $657,573 704-6473 maxshelpingpaws.org Big Idea: Max’s Helping Paws Foundation recognizes the growing financial stress on pet families, leading to more “economic euthanasias” for local low- or no-income pet owners. To help, this nonprofit’s Big Idea offers financial assistance to eligible families who have a pet in crisis. As veterinary costs continue to grow, donations are needed to continue Max’s Helping Paws eight-year history of helping every qualified family who has asked this foundation for financial assistance for a beloved pet. “Your foundation was a beacon of hope in my darkest hour. Thank you for believing in Lola and me, for seeing the bond we share, and for understanding the depth of my love for her. You show us that kindness and generosity exist in the world, and that there is always hope. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” -Lisa T. Peace of Mind Dog Rescue Year Founded: 2009 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 30 paid, 1,557 volunteers Budget: $2,362,416 718-9122 peaceofminddogrescue.org Big Idea: Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) saved 384 senior dogs last year and, with the nonprofit’s new private veterinary clinic, hopes to do even more. Already supporting 100-plus adoptable dogs, the POMDR clinic hopes to provide more services to reduce the burden of veterinary bills for low-income pet guardians. This Big Idea also includes a financial commitment to POMDR dogs for their lifetime, offering discounted care for POMDR dogs at their vet clinic. “We continue to be amazed by the care, enthusiasm and love shown by the entire POMDR team. We recently needed veterinary care for our dog, Jessie. The very prompt, professional and extraordinary attention that was given to us and our dog was phenomenal. Thank you so much for all that you do for us and this community.” -Richard E. “Your foundation was a beacon of hope in my darkest hour.” –Lisa T., Max’s Helping Paws SPCA Monterey County Year Founded: 1905 Paid Staff and Volunteers: 95 paid, 450 volunteers Budget: $11,725,943 373-2631 spcamc.org Big Idea: While the rising cost of groceries is well documented, the high price of pet food can be overlooked. SPCA Monterey County’s Big Idea supports a free Pet Food Bank, helping keep pet families together by alleviating one source of financial stress. In 2023, this nonprofit provided over 120,000 pounds of food and helped more than 700 pets. However, the need continues to grow and donations are needed to continue providing basic needs assistance for pet families. “Expenses are so tight. The young lady with the SPCA who helped me was so compassionate and kind. I left with a smile on my face. My pets are my babies and the SPCA gave me such a big help.” -Leslie spotlight
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