Causes: Animal Protection & Welfare, Animals

Mission: Project Purr is an all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives of unsocialized cats and kittens by providing accessible low cost feral cat spay/neuter to all Santa Cruz County, California residents, regardless of income. Project Purr advocates Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as the only humane solution to reducing cat overpopulation.

Target demographics: Santa Cruz County, California

Programs: Project purr is an all-volunteer nonprofit feral cat/kitten rescue organization. During fiscal year 2014, 484 cats/kittens were spay/neutered or adopted, and 135 feral barn cats were rescued and rehomed from the county shelter. Project purr's "fix & feed pets in need" donation based pet food program collected and disbursed 22,476 pounds of dog and cat food to established pantries for the pets of those in need. Project purr received $10,000 from friends of santa cruz county animal services, a nonprofit which supports the county shelter. Project purr was recognized in two international magazines, cat fancy and best friends, for our innovative and successful rescue/relocation barn cat program. Project purr had its first full year opening and operating a benefit resale shop in downtown santa cruz. Staffed by volunteers and filled with donations from the community, "rescued treasures" is funding all of our programs and provides us with the venue and opportunity to share our mission statement about trap-neuter-return, the only humane solution to feral cat population control. Rescued treasures hosted several downtown santa cruz first friday art tours and an antiques road show event at the new charity shop. Project purr held its final rummage sale and rescued treasures was voted best thrift store by the santa cruz sentinel readers' choice awards.