This is what compassion looks like in action...

Let’s be honest, the world feels heavy sometimes. Food costs rise, shelters overflow, and the desert gets hotter each year. But here in Sky Valley, we are proving that care and creativity can turn struggle into strength. This newsletter is a look at what that work really means and how you are already part of it.

Growing Hope From The Ground Up.

When Galilea first arrived at Esperanza’s Sanctuary, she came ready to learn, help, and build community. A student with a passion for animals and environmental change, she quickly became one of our most dedicated volunteers, helping with everything from feeding rescued animals to teaching visitors about composting and soil regeneration.
Her curiosity and compassion embody the future we hope to cultivate: young leaders who see farming not as labor, but as liberation. Today, Galilea continues to grow her skills in animal care and regenerative agriculture, proving that one person’s dedication can spark lasting change in our desert community.

A Life Saved, A Breed Preserved

Lenore arrived at Esperanza’s Sanctuary when she was just 24 hours old! Tiny, fragile, and unsure of the world. With patient care and around-the-clock feeding, she survived those first critical weeks and quickly became one of our most beloved residents.
Now grown and thriving, Lenore represents more than just a rescue; she’s a living ambassador for heritage livestock conservation. Through her, visitors learn that protecting rare farm breeds is as essential to biodiversity as saving wild species. Lenore’s playful curiosity reminds everyone who meets her that every life, no matter how small, is part of the circle that sustains us.

Growing Health and Hope with Blue Zones Project Palm Springs

This fall, Esperanza’s Sanctuary joined Blue Zones Project Palm Springs for a hands-on community event that reached more than 100 local families. Together, we built microgardens, shared seedlings grown in compost we made on site, and taught simple ways to grow food at home using upcycled containers and rescued compost. Families left not only with plants, but with the knowledge and confidence to nourish themselves and their communities.
Through partnerships like this, we’re helping desert residents turn small spaces into thriving gardens and proving that food sovereignty can take root anywhere, even in the heart of the desert.

Cultivating Curiosity with Palm Springs Unified School District

Our partnership with Palm Springs Unified School District is helping students discover how science, sustainability, and compassion connect. Through garden-based learning and humane education, students explore how food grows, how animals contribute to ecosystems, and how caring for the planet begins in their own backyards. Together, we’re inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers who see every handful of soil as a chance to build a better world.

New Collaboration with Wellness Equity Alliance

We’re thrilled to begin our new partnership with Wellness Equity Alliance this week, expanding access to food sovereignty resources, and microchipping in the Coachella Valley. This collaboration will support community outreach events that bring fresh produce, easy-to-grow foods, and pe safety to those who need it most. By combining our strengths, we’re creating a model for compassionate, connected care that bridges people, pets, and public health. #Healthcareisahumanright #Housingisahumanright #Foodisahumanright #TheFamilyUnitIncludesPets

Climate Action in Motion

We are proud to share that Esperanza’s Sanctuary was awarded a grant through the California Climate Action Corps, a program of the California Office of the Governor in partnership with Bay Area Resource Conservation. This incredible opportunity brought four full-time Climate Fellows to our sanctuary, and honestly, they are some of the most inspiring humans we’ve ever met.

Morgan, Elissa, Andrew, and Ally each bring unique educational backgrounds, skills, and energy to the team. Together, we are tackling food diversion, emergency preparedness, wildfire resilience, and community outreach that inspires real climate action right here in the desert.

They will be with us for the next eight months, and we invite you to join us as we expand our programs, strengthen our systems, and empower our community to be part of lasting environmental change.

2025 Impact to Date

To date we have:

1. Diverted just over 31,000lbs of food "waste" to our compost.

2. Distributed almost 8,000 lbs of edible food to families in our communities

3. Redistributed over 14,000 lbs of food that would have otherwise ended up in the landfill to feed our farm animals on site.

4. We have grown and distributed over 1,000 food producing plant seedlings including trees and medicinal herbs

5. Hosted 6 workshops teaching food sovereignty to our communities for free.

Upcoming Events

To date we have:

1. Palm Springs Food & Wine Fest - Educating the community about what we do, climate impacts, and diverting their food waste to our farm animals and our compost. Tickets at Palm Springs Food & Wine 11/15/2025

2. Sprout & Sustain: A free food Sovereignty workshop. Learn to grow plants of all kinds, harvest seeds, grow seeds, and plan your space in a manner that works for and with you. 11/15/2025 at 9am Preregistration is required

3. All About Families Event- Teaching the public what we do, how we do it, how they can join us, and empower communities to take a more active role in all areas of their needs. Tickets at All About Families.

4. Stargazing A night of stargazing here with your families on the farm $10.00 per person donation. Hot Cocoa and a cookie $2.50 each, Popcorn 0.50 November 20th 6pm to 8pm Preregistration is Required.

We Love Volunteers

No matter your skills, experience, or ability you can contribute here at Esperanza's in a meaningful way and take the knowledge you receive back to your community and into future career opportunities. Join us today!

The Truth About Humane Animal Care

Many of us were taught that good training means showing animals what they did wrong. In reality, real progress comes from preventing unwanted behaviors and teaching what to do instead. When animals are reinforced for the right choices, and not allowed to keep practicing the wrong ones! Behavior change happens faster and lasts longer.

At Esperanza’s Sanctuary, this applies to every species. Goats learn to stand calmly on a milking stand for hoof trims. Pigs relax with belly rubs. Cows stay still while licking treats. Each moment builds trust, reduces stress, and makes both daily care and veterinary work safer, easier, and more affordable. Humane care is not about control. It’s about cooperation.

Community Spotlight

When we work together everyone thrives. The age old adage of it takes a village may sound cliche but it really does. To this we want to give a huge thank you to Prema Walker of Prema's Permaculture and Composting and all they do in our community and with us!

Congratulations to Prema for completing the National Latina Business Women Association Inland Empire's Micro MBA Program!

Ways to Give or Support

Every act of support helps us grow a more compassionate, sustainable desert community. Whether it’s a bale of hay, a 5-gallon bucket for compost, or a recurring gift, each contribution directly feeds animals, restores soil, and teaches families how to grow food for themselves.

Here are a few ways to join the solution:

• Become a monthly supporter to help sustain daily care, rescue, and education.

• Give in-kind through our wish list: buckets with lids, feed, hay, solar lighting, or garden supplies.

• Book a stay through Hipcamp, Harvest Hosts Rv Overnights WWOOFing or take one of our courses, your participation funds food access, composting, and sanctuary care.

Together, we can build a model of desert resilience rooted in empathy, soil health, and second chances.

Community Empowerment

We’re grateful to collaborate with our friends at Community Coven PD, who help us extend the food we recover and grow to more families across the Coachella Valley. Through this partnership, food diverted from waste becomes nourishment shared with our neighbors, strengthening the local food web and reminding us what community care looks like in action.

From the Heart of Esperanza’s Sanctuary

Every rescued life and garden bed here begins with someone believing change is possible. When we compost, plant, or train with kindness, we are not just caring for animals or soil. We are caring for each other.

I know what it is like to be hungry. To wonder where the next meal will come from. To work hard just to make sure your child has what they need. I also learned the messy way to grow things, with trial, error, and very little help. Now I get to share that knowledge with others and help people of all ages discover that growing food is powerful, joyful, and possible.

As the disabled immigrant daughter of a plumber, I see the people who keep this valley running. The overlooked, the overworked, and the ones who still show up anyway. We want better for them, and we want better for the animals who depend on us. Our work is about both.

Here at Esperanza’s Sanctuary, we are building sustainable closed loop systems that turn struggle into strength and waste into nourishment. And yes, we are doing it while speaking out about the disaster of a shelter system in Riverside County that desperately needs reform. Our goal is simple: keep animals out of shelters, keep them safe in their homes, and keep our communities connected through compassion and care.

Thank you for standing with us and being part of this movement. Together, we are proving that the desert can bloom, and so can we.

-Tabitha Davies, Co-Director, Esperanza’s Sanctuary (oh yeah and we do not believe in colonizer hierarchical systems that's why there is more than one director)

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Esperanza's Sanctuary INC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit farm sanctuary and community hub located in Sky Valley, California. We are dedicated to advancing food sovereignty, regenerative agriculture, animal welfare, and environmental education in one of California’s most underserved desert regions.