Margaret Camara began the nonprofit organization Care for Senior and Disabled Animals (CSADA) out of her own home. To raise money, she collects used sneakers, glass and plastic bottles, then exchanges them for cash.
"People are leaving their recyclables by their gates and saying, 'here’s my address, come pick it up,' and that’s what I do," Camara said. "I know money is hard to come by, and yes, I need money like everybody else for the animals, but also know everything donated goes back to the animals."
The CSADA uses the donations to help people who may not be able to afford their vet bills but still want their pets to live a full life.
"I realized that elderly people living on a limited income — how do they pay for this and take care of these animals? This is their reason for getting up in the morning, some of them. This is unconditional love some of these animals give."
The nonprofit has donation locations at local businesses throughout San Luis Obispo County.
The owner of Perfetto Caffe, Jami Fisher, said their bin is always filled by the end of the day.
"I come out every day and it’s full and she’ll also collect from your house," Fisher said. "She’ll collect from our house because she goes right down to the recycling right next to our home. She’ll come collect anything from anywhere."
Kathleen Farrell says calling Camara helped save her cat, Coco, when she could not afford to take her to the vet.
"I see her as an angel," Farrell said. "I didn’t have any money at the time. I was really, really stressed about that. It was like, this is in between paychecks, what am I gonna do? I called Margaret right away. Within days, Coco was in to the vet."
To donate, call the CSADA at (831) 277-3800 or visit their website for donation locations.
