Meet Tara Smith | Founder of Comfy Carepacks

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Comfy Carepacks started as a passion project. While living in New Mexico, I adopted two dogs from a local shelter, Carmelo, a terrier mix and Coco, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Unfortunately, they have since crossed the rainbow bridge. However, I will always cherish their unconditional love, which is why I am a sucker for pets. That love inspired me to find a way to give back to my community, specifically the pet community.

I started doing research on animal organizations and came across a national organization in Nevada that helps individuals experiencing homeless with their pets. After learning about their success, I wanted to replicate that effort within my local community. I applied and received a grant through the Awesome Foundation and Carmelo & Coco’s Comfy Carepacks was born. Seeing how that was a mouthful to say, it has now been shortened to Comfy Carepacks.

The goal of Comfy Carepacks is to help alleviate some of the stress individuals with pets often experience with being unhoused. As an organization built on compassion, Comfy Carepacks aims to provide unhoused individuals with supplies and necessities for their furry companions. What I am doing may not change the world, but it may change the world of the pet and owner in need. My goal is to make a difference, one pet at a time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I am not helping pets in the community, I am helping the people. In addition to running Comfy Carepacks, I am also a Librarian. Being a librarian, I am able to meet and help a variety of folks in my community. I’ve been a librarian for over 20 years and have connected with tons of interesting people. Many people aren’t aware of the many free resources available at their local library. I love connecting people with community resources, especially resources that they weren’t previously aware of. It is such a “feel good“ moment when you can help someone who didn’t know the specific help they needed was available and accessible, for free.

Librarians have a knack for finding information, which was a tremendous help in starting Comfy Carepacks. I was able to navigate through tons of information and resources and figure out the most efficient and effective way to get the nonprofit off the ground.

Research has shown that many nonprofits fail within their first few years, and I am happy to say we are coming up on our 5 year anniversary. I think what makes us resilient is the fact that we are trying to keep our efforts local and not take on more than we can handle. About 10-15% of the unhoused population own pets and we would love to be able to help them all. But because of the lack of resources, including funding, we just aren’t able to. So we do as much as we can, which includes relying on larger nonprofits, who have the staff and ability to help us reach those in need. As long as the people needing the help get the resources, it doesn’t matter if it comes directly from Comfy Carepacks or from another organization. we partner with, to distribute our packs.

One thing I have discovered it can be difficult to find people to care about your passion project as much as you do. In a volunteer organization, people will come and go and help out when they are able to, which is totally understandable. Some days I wear many hats and getting things done can take a little longer than I would like. During those times, I find myself thinking back to why I wanted to start this organization and remember, “make a difference, one pet at time” So even if I am only helping one pet a day, then I am accomplishing what I set out to do. Do I wish I had the resources to help more pets and their owners? Of course, but I can only do so much, so as long as I am doing something, then I am accomplishing my goal.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Thinking about this question, I realize I probably need to work a little less and get out and enjoy the city some more. A couple of places do come to mind though.

One of the first places we go is to Blaqhaus, a local eatery in North Hollywood. Their southern cuisine is amazing and their staff is very welcoming. The vibe and energy of this place is so positive and uplifting. Even if I don’t have guests, I find myself enjoying this trendy establishment at least a couple of times a month.

My go to place on Tuesday nights is The Thirsty Merchant, located in Valley Village. It’s trivia night and their frose’ are delightfully delicious.

I would definitely take visitors to the beach, you can not come to Southern California and not spend time relaxing at the beach. I would also see what is happening in my community. The Noho district has lots of theatres, studios and art galleries, with events taking place every week. So I am sure I could find an activity to our liking.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely could not do this alone, so I want to give a shout out to Deborah Takahashi and Crystal Noe, who have helped me since Comfy Carepacks was an inkling of an idea. When I expressed my desire to start a pet focused non-profit, they jumped on board immediately. They are both cat-lovers and understand the difference a pet can make in people’s lives. No matter what resources I need for the organization, they are willing to roll up their sleeves and help me find a way to acquire them.. Both Crystal and Deb have been an integral part of the success of Comfy Carepacks. I appreciate their continuous encouragement and time and effort they have put into this organization.

I would also like to shout out all the volunteers that have helped Comfy Carepacks over the years. As a 100% volunteer organization, we rely heavily on volunteers. Many of the things we have accomplished are a direct result of the hard work and dedication of the people who believe and support the work we do.

Website: www.comfycarepacks.org

Instagram: instagram.com/comfycarepacks

Facebook: facebook.com/comfycarepacks

Image Credits
Gusmano Cesaretti Tara Smith Crystal Noe Duke Jacobs