Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal — No-Kill Animal Rescue, Foster & Adoption in Southern California Skip to content
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No-kill · Foster-based · 501(c)(3)

Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal

Where animals and people heal together.

Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes dogs and cats across Southern California, and we're building a permanent sanctuary for animals in need.

0
animals euthanized for space. Ever.
24/7
support for every foster family
Now officially a foster-based rescue. Saving lives today while the sanctuary is built.

Four ways in

Pick the way you'll help. Every one saves a life.

A senior rescue dog and tabby cat resting together in a foster home

Why we exist

A rescued animal doesn't care about your past — only that you showed up.

Where animals and people heal together.

They'll celebrate your victories, sit with you in hard times, be your comic relief and remind you that unconditional love is real. As you give them safety, comfort and a future, you discover the truth behind our philosophy: animals and people heal together.

Shelter overcrowding in Southern California still ends lives that could have been saved. We exist to change that — one foster home, one adoption, one heart at a time.

Fosters needed now

Your spare room is the sanctuary — until we build one.

We're a foster-based rescue by design. Every foster home creates space to pull another animal running out of time.

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The Future Sanctuary

Help us build their forever home.

We are actively raising funds to secure land in Southern California. This permanent sanctuary will provide housing for animals requiring longer-term care and allow us to expand our rescue capacity.

A joyful sanctuary pasture

Community Voices

"We will feature authentic stories from our referral partners here soon. If you have partnered with Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal, we would love to hear from you!"

Pending Testimonial Referral Partner

"Community members and neighbors will have their voices featured here. Reach out to share your experience with Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal."

Pending Testimonial Community Member

Follow our journey

Stay updated with the latest rescues, events, and sanctuary progress.

Social Feed Pending

An approved social post or feed embed will be placed here once confirmed.

Knowledge is power.

Short, plain-language guides on the ideas behind our work.

Quick answers

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About us

Honoring animals with the safety, dignity, respect and love they deserve.

Getting to know our founder

Anita St Lewis, a native Californian and lifelong animal advocate, founded Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal — a no-kill 501(c)(3) dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming vulnerable animals.

Animals have been part of Anita's life since childhood, teaching her compassion, trust, loyalty and unconditional love. She often says animals saved her life — now her mission is to save theirs.

After many years in corporate America, Anita pursued formal training in animal welfare, graduating from Southern Utah University and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, where she studied how to operate a life-saving sanctuary. Driven by the urgent need to reduce euthanasia caused by shelter overcrowding, she built a place where animals can heal and thrive — and where people experience the profound connection animals provide.

"Join me in creating a world where animals and humans heal together."— Anita St Lewis, Founder
Anita St Lewis, founder, embracing a rescued dog
Founder & Visionary

Board of Directors

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Mission

Saving the lives of innocent animals and providing a safe environment for them to thrive.

Vision

More than a rescue — an environment that nurtures the healing power of animals, creating a bond that enriches both their lives and ours.

Ways to help

Join us as we transform lives.

Become part of our family today. Choose the path that fits your life — each one directly saves an animal.

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Adopt

Adopt a loving animal and save a life.

Our team matches you with an animal whose needs and personality fit your lifestyle and comfort level. You're never alone in this journey — guidance, tips, resources and 24/7 support are included, with a team cheering you on every day.

Adoptions opening soon — applications are open now

Start your adoption application

Thank you for choosing to make a difference. Together, we're giving innocent animals the chance they deserve. Welcome to our family — we're honored to have you.

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Foster

Fosters save lives.

You're not just giving an animal a safe place to stay — you're giving them a real chance. A future filled with love, security and trust, so they feel safe enough to show their true selves. Your insight into their personality, temperament and habits is what helps us find the right forever home, faster.

Every foster home creates space for another innocent animal. It's a win-win for everyone.

What we provide. What you provide.

We cover

  • ✓ Food, supplies and a crate or carrier
  • ✓ All veterinary and medical care
  • ✓ A dedicated foster coordinator, 24/7
  • ✓ Marketing, photos and adoption events

You bring

  • ✓ A safe, calm space in your home
  • ✓ Patience, routine and gentle socialization
  • ✓ Notes on personality and habits
  • ✓ Transport to vet visits and meet-and-greets

Foster questionnaire

This helps us understand your home environment and preferences so we can match you with the right animal.

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Volunteer

Volunteers are the heartbeat of the sanctuary.

Every day, animals are counting on us — coming from unfortunate situations or simply needing a new start. Without volunteers, our work would not be possible. With you, we save lives, build trust and heal together.

Tell us about you

Pick roles above, then send this — we reply within a few days.

Application sent!

Thanks for volunteering for: {{ volPickedText }}. We'll be in touch within a few days.

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Donate

You can help save animals running out of time.

When you support Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal you're not just donating. You're saving lives, strengthening our community and helping build a place where animals and humans heal.

Every gift, big or small, goes directly toward our current needs: land, permits, housing, and food and medical care for animals in foster.

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Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal is a registered 501(c)(3). EIN 39-2801580. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Name your own amount

None of the above? Enter a custom amount to support the sanctuary.

$
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🔒 Secure checkoutTax-deductible receipt by email

Prefer goods over dollars?

More ways to suit up

Volunteer

Walk dogs, groom cats, photograph pets, or help at events.

Give goods, not dollars

Ship food, medical supplies, or crates directly to our fosters.

Foster

Open your home to an animal in need. We cover all expenses.

Spread the word

Share our mission with your friends, family, and network.

Email a friend →

Wish list

The everyday things that keep a rescue running.

In-kind gifts go straight to animals in foster care. Pick a category, or email us to arrange a drop-off.

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Have something not listed? Ask us first — we'll say yes to most things.

Email Anita

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News & updates

Sanctuary Journal.

Stories of healing, updates on our mission, and news from the heart of Southern California.

What you'll find here

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Never miss an update

New rescue stories, sanctuary progress, and ways to help — straight to your inbox.

Thanks — you're on the list!

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Community & collaboration

Our Partners.

Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal is a community effort. We're building formal relationships with the clinics, businesses and sponsors who help us rescue, rehabilitate and rehome — and we'll introduce each one here as those partnerships are confirmed.

Ways to partner

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How partnering works

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Partnership questions

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Working together

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Partnerships in the works

New collaborations, forming right now

We're actively formalizing relationships with the organizations below. We'd rather introduce them properly than post a placeholder before that's ready.

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Want to partner with us? Email Anita.

Community voices

Community Voices.

The impact of our sanctuary extends beyond the animals we save. Here's what our community, partners and neighbors have to say — and an open invitation to everyone still ready to share their own story.

How to share your story

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Your story belongs here

We're just getting started collecting these

Rather than post empty quote boxes, we'd rather ask directly: if Healing Hearts Sanctuary SoCal has touched your life — as a partner, a foster, an adopter, or a neighbor — we would love to feature your real words here.

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Share your story →

Permanent sanctuary

The Big Ask.

We are working toward a permanent sanctuary in Southern California and gathering information about possible land arrangements: lease, share, or donation.

Three ways to say yes

There is no wrong way to offer land — what matters is getting animals out of foster homes and into a stable, permanent place to heal.

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Connect about land

Inquiry sent!

Thanks for reaching out — our team will follow up soon.

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How it works

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Why we are asking at all

Today, every animal in our care lives in a volunteer's home. That keeps our capacity tied to how many foster families we can recruit in a given month — a real ceiling on how many lives we can save.

A dedicated property changes that math: on-site intake, recovery space for medical cases, and room for the volunteer, education and bee-conservation programs we already run to grow under one roof.

Land questions

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Not land, but still want to help?

A tax-deductible gift moves us closer to a lease or purchase just as directly as acreage does.

Contact

We'd love to hear from you.

Questions about adopting, fostering, volunteering or partnering? Anita reads every message.

anita@healingheartssanctuary-socal.org

Serving Southern California · No-kill 501(c)(3) · EIN 39-2801580

Message sent!

Thanks for reaching out — Anita reads every message and will reply soon.

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