Pets Are Wonderful Support, or PAWS, was founded in 1993 by volunteers in San Diego to help people living with HIV/AIDS to keep their animals. Since then, the nonprofit group has expanded to include low-income disabled and elderly people.

	+ Enlarge
	FRIENDS - Since her husband died, Barbara Moore says regular food deliveries from PAWS have helped her care for her cats, including Tiger. CNS Photo by Peggy Peattie.

PAWS has two distribution warehouses. In 2006 volunteers delivered more than 75,000 pounds of pet food, litter and supplies to their 570 clients (more than 725 pets). They also subsidized almost 600 veterinary visits, including two dozen lifesaving emergency surgeries. PAWS is funded through grants, donations and fundraising events.

Volunteers make house calls delivering food, walking pets, changing litter boxes, feeding animals and providing transportation to and from veterinary visits.

A 2006 survey of client profiles revealed:

Fifty-five percent are recovering from mental illness, 44% are living with HIV/AIDS, 39% are living with another physical disability, 27% are over age 65, and 87% live alone with pets as their only companions.

According to volunteer coordinator Richard Casiano, the unconditional love of an animal gives thousands of people a reason to continue on with their lives despite challenging physical, mental and financial hardships.

For more information visit www.pawssdc.org.

Show Everyone What You Are Capable Of: Take Action and Investigate Jobs on 50,000+ Websites Instantly

Get immediate results in your job search: Discover advertising jobs from over 50,000 websites on AdvertisingCrossing. It is not logical for you to be confined to advertising jobs on one website when you can have the exciting experience of searching over 50,000 websites at once. As a highly observant, fast paced and energetic person, you are resourceful and know that it is problematic that jobs are scattered on the websites of tens of thousands of companies, organizations and other job boards. By putting this tremendous variety of jobs in one place, we give you flexibility, and empower you to find the job of your choice. Our good-natured approach is one where we do not accept any money from advertisers for job postings; this allows us to provide you with unbiased research about every job opening. You are going to love the variety on our "advertising jobs only" site, the new people you will meet and the fun you will have as a result of taking the initiative and using us.

Tell us where to send your access instructions: Your Email: