Feel Good News

Eight Santa Barbara County companies vie to see which team can rally the most funds, food, and volunteer hours for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.

This December, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing will be opening a new property called Heath House located on Sola Street.

Spark Rescue is looking for foster families to foster dogs, litters of puppies, and cats/kittens.

Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation is still managing to keep the Veteran’s Day spirit alive with “Night at the Drive-In!,” an event where they will honor World War II Veterans Art Peterson and Ugo D. Arnoldi.

In partnership with the County of Santa Barbara, United Way is offering rental assistance grants to eligible individuals and families living in unincorporated areas.

A Goleta Eagle Scout created a community project to benefit the Goleta Valley South Little League.

A supplies drive organized by the local non-profit Teacher’s Fund has raised $56,000 to help Santa Barbara-area teachers purchase tools and materials for their classrooms.

Pigeon Guillemots are uncommon patients at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network but one of these rescued seabirds was recently released back into the wild.

Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo recognized four local businesses and community organizations for their outstanding support of people with disabilities at a virtual awards ceremony.

Santa Barbara County Firefighter Sam Dudley gave a heartfelt presentation during Compassionate Care of Carpinteria’s “The Light Shines Ahead” event. 

United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County partnered with Lane Farms to recreate a pumpkin patch at each of their clubs.

A Santa Barbara-based nonprofit publisher created a fundraiser to provide books to local preschool-age children as their families navigate a lack of access to early childhood learning opportunities due to COVID-19.  

The Coastal Quilters Guild of Santa Barbara and Goleta donated a little over 1,100 child/youth masks and 175 adult masks to the United Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara County residents picked up nearly 4,000 pounds of trash during the month of September for Coastal Cleanup Month.

The Isla Vista Youth Projects has raised funds to purchase lap desks for local students who need them.

Smiles are so important these days, and the Santa Barbara Assistance League is helping make sure that children in our community are able to give big ones.

A Dos Pueblos High School teacher has won $50,000 in a nationwide contest for Teaching Excellence in Skilled Trades.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department reports an injured eagle was rescued by firefighters in Sisquoc on Friday.

The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network has released a Great Horned Owl into the wild after mending its wings.

The 2020 Senior Expo of Santa Barbara will transition to a flu clinic for at-risk seniors to provide free vaccines.

Governor Newsom signed a bill that limits the use of certain rodenticides that linger in the food chain for weeks, killing not just the targeted rodent, but also their predators and scavengers.

The Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network's patient of the eek is a big brown bat with a broken wing. 

Jane and Paul Orfalea/the Audacious Foundation have donated $100,000 to the Wilderness Youth Project and issued a $50,000 matching challenge grant to encourage other donors.

The County of Santa Barbara and United Way of Santa Barbara County are offering the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance program to provide limited rental assistance grants to eligible residents.

The Santa Barbara Education Foundation and the Santa Barbara Unified School District created a new campaign to raise the necessary funds so students will have the extra help they need for success in the classroom from afar. 

Volunteers and trail crews rolled up their sleeves and got to work on the restoration of the Murietta Trail this summer thanks to public support and funding through the Thomas Fire Trail Fund.

A local dog is a finalist in the nationwide "Walk and Wag Photo Contest" that could earn prize money and a pet food for the Santa Barbara Humane Society.

In partnership with the County of Santa Barbara, the cities of Santa Barbara and Goleta, United Way of Santa Barbara County is offering rental assistance and other disaster response grants to eligible individuals and families.

First 5 Santa Barbara received its first shipment of the most requested and hard to secure supplies for childcare providers caring for the children of our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Santa Barbara teenagers with AHA! created inspirational notes with artwork for elderly residents in a local convalescent hospital.