5 Nonprofits To Get Behind In Petaluma, North Bay

PETALUMA, CA — Nonprofit groups are keystone community organizations in the Petaluma area.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of organizations to volunteer or get behind financially, and that need your help.

Here are five outstanding nonprofit groups you should know about in Petaluma and the North Bay:

1. Petaluma People Services Center —PPSC— is much more than a collection of 73 human services programs based on best practice research with measurable outcomes. It's a community of caregivers existing within the larger community who strives to serve one child, one adult, and one senior at a time. During the most recent year, PPSC served over 12,000 people in five core areas: Aging Well Together (home-delivered meals, adult day care, case management, nutrition site-senior cafe, transportation, and balance programs); Homeless Prevention (fair housing for the City of Petaluma); Employment & Training; Counseling (individual, couples and family, drug and alcohol prevention, gang prevention); Youth Programs (youth employment and Mentor Me); Petaluma Bounty (Healthy Food For All); and the SAFE Team (crisis intervention). For those wishing to help, there are several volunteer opportunities listed at Petalumapeople.org/volunteer. Monetary donations can be made one time or on a monthly basis through the nonprofit's website.

2. Redwood Empire Food Bank has over 350 monthly food distribution sites in five counties: Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte. Within these sites, Redwood Empire Food Bank operates 11 innovative programs under three strategic hunger relief initiatives: Every Child Every Day providing food to 33,000 at-risk chidren; Senior Security, providing food to 13,000 low-income seniors; and Neighborhood Hunger Network, providing groceries to 117,000 individuals. Residents wishing to help can donate their time as a volunteer or make a food or monetary donation. "It's not one or the other — we need all of it. Every dollar, every minute and every food donation makes a difference." Visit Refb.org/ways-to-give/ for more information.

3. The Salvation Army has North Bay locations in Napa, Petaluma and Santa Rosa. The international organization is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church and strives to meet needs without discrimination. The Petaluma location offers social services and food boxes for the hungry. It also helps out in times of natural disaster, such as the North Bay fires of 2017. See current North Bay volunteer opportunities here. Monetary donations can be made one time or on a monthly basis through the organization's website.

4. North Bay Animal Services strives to provide comprehensive animal services to the North Bay community that result in fewer homeless animals, greater pet retention, and happier families. The organization runs a no-kill animal shelter in Petaluma and manages dog licenses for several Sonoma County cities. Currently, the nonprofit needs blankets, toys and food for dogs; litter, toys and food for cats; toys and hay for rabbits; cleaning items; and Costco items. More specific wish-list information and ways to donate monetarily are listed at Northbayanimalservices.org/ways-to-give.

5. Fire Safe Sonoma has been serving Sonoma County for more than 25 years. The nonprofit educates residents about wildfire prevention, takes on large-scale fuel reduction projects, and created the first chipper program in the county. The organization also acts as a liaison between local communities and agencies and seeks grant funding for wildfire safety-related projects. Donations can be made online and the nonprofit is always in need of volunteers.

This content is brought to our community in partnership with T-Mobile.