Gail Arnold’s Favorite Nonprofits of the Year

At this time of year when readers are thinking about year-end charitable donations, I want to highlight three nonprofits that are doing extraordinary work to serve those in need.

Immigrant Legal Defense Center (ILDC)

With ICE rounding up hardworking immigrants, who in many cases have been in our community longer than they have been anywhere else, support for ILDC is more critical than ever. This stellar nonprofit provides legal representation, case management, and therapy to undocumented immigrants residing in the Tri-County region and facing deportation. Presently, ILDC is serving 530 clients. There are approximately 2,000 people in the Tri-County area in removal proceedings who are unrepresented.

Deportation decisions involve discretion, with legal representation being key to a successful outcome. ILDC has highly competent and dedicated attorneys and support staff. The therapy provided by ILDC is critically important for the immigrant clients who left their home countries because they were not safe there, only to come here and now feel unsafe here too. While ILDC does receive state, county, and city financing, private donations are needed to enable ILDC to serve more of our immigrant community members. Read my story here. For more info or to make a donation, go to https://www.sbimmigrantdefense.org.

CARE4Paws

This nonprofit has stayed in my “favorites” column each year because so many community members continue to struggle financially, and when money is short in the household, care for pets can suffer. CARE4Paws provides critical assistance to low-income pet owners, which prevents pets from enduring hunger, suffering when in need of veterinary care, or being relinquished to a shelter. With its mobile clinics, CARE4Paws provides free and low-cost spay and neuter procedures (nearly 2,100 this year) and other veterinary care (more than 15,000 dogs and cats served this year, mostly directly, some through partners that it funds). CARE4Paws also provides free pet food and supplies to low-income and homeless pet owners (two tons of food distributed monthly); and offers foster care for pets of domestic violence victims.

The more community support CARE4Paws receives, the more suffering it can alleviate and the more pets who can remain with their owners. Through the end of the year, Andrew and Kendra Feshbach are matching donations (up to $25,000) to the Albus Fund at CARE4Paws, which funds urgent and life-saving veterinary care. Read my story here. For more info or to make a donation, go to https://care4paws.org.

Doctors Without Walls – Santa Barbara Street Medicine

DWW provides much needed health care and other services to homeless members of our community. Its volunteer healthcare professionals, pre-med students, and other generous individuals bring healthcare to parks, churches, nonprofits, and the streets. It provides intensive case management, enabling people to transition to stable housing. 

In 2025, DWW has provided medical services to more than 1,300 people and provided food, clothing, and other supplies to many more. It has seen a large increase in Hispanic clients, likely attributable to immigration enforcement actions and the resulting lack of trust in government healthcare providers.

Thanks to the “Big Beautiful Bill,” DWW is at serious risk of losing federal funding for its enhanced case management program. At the same time, it foresees a rise in the already large demand for its services, especially with the closure of the PATH shelter at year end and the decision by the Housing Authority of the City of S.B. last March to stop issuing new Section 8 vouchers. Read my story here. For more info or to make a donation, go to https://sbdww.org.