Cave Creek and the surrounding foothills are supported by an impressive network of nonprofits, volunteers and community organizations. From food assistance and senior services to desert conservation, animal rescue and emergency help, here are some of the groups every resident should know.

Who Helps Cave Creek? Local Organizations, Nonprofits and Community Groups to Know

One of the things you begin to notice after living around Cave Creek for a while is how much of the community runs on people helping other people.

Some of that help is highly visible.

Much of it isn't.

There are volunteers delivering food to seniors, people helping neighbors evacuate horses during emergencies, organizations protecting desert land, volunteers caring for wildlife, people preserving local history and groups helping families who simply need a little assistance getting through a difficult period.

If you're new to Cave Creek, you may not know these organizations exist until you need one.

And if you've lived here for years, you may discover a few you didn't know about either.

Here are some of the organizations helping make the Cave Creek and Desert Foothills community work.

Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center

Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center provides food and other assistance to people throughout the northern foothills area.

Its services go considerably beyond canned goods on a shelf. Depending on availability and need, the organization distributes fresh produce, meat, bakery products, household supplies, personal-care products and pet food.

The organization also has community navigators who can help people identify and apply for other assistance programs.

Its Cave Creek location is on Carefree Highway, making this a very local resource for residents who need assistance — and for residents looking for a place to donate or volunteer.

Foothills Caring Corps

Foothills Caring Corps helps older adults and people with disabling conditions remain independent in their own homes.

Its volunteer-supported services have included transportation, grocery assistance, mobile meals, friendly visits and other forms of practical support.

This is the kind of organization you may barely notice until you or someone you know needs help getting to an appointment, obtaining groceries or simply remaining connected to the community.

It's also an excellent example of something that makes a smaller community work: neighbors giving some of their time to help other neighbors maintain their independence.

Desert Foothills Land Trust

Anyone who values the open desert surrounding Cave Creek should know about Desert Foothills Land Trust.

The nonprofit works to conserve important Sonoran Desert landscapes and natural areas in the Desert Foothills region.

Preserving open space doesn't happen automatically, particularly on the edge of a growing metropolitan area.

Land has to be identified, protected, managed and sometimes acquired. Conservation also involves education and helping people understand why these landscapes matter.

The open desert many of us consider part of Cave Creek's identity exists in part because organizations and individuals have worked to protect it.

Desert Foothills Library

Desert Foothills Library is much more than a place to borrow a book.

The library serves as a community gathering place with programs, classes, discussion groups, cultural activities, educational opportunities and events.

For newcomers especially, a local library can be one of the easiest doors into a community.

You don't need to know anyone before walking in.

You just need to be curious.

Cave Creek Museum

Cave Creek Museum helps preserve the stories behind the place where we live.

Its collections and programs cover Indigenous history, archaeology, ranching, mining and the development of the Cave Creek area.

The museum is also home to the restored Golden Reef Stamp Mill, connecting today's community directly with the area's historic mining period.

It's easy to live somewhere without knowing much about what happened before you arrived.

The museum helps make sure that history isn't lost as the community changes.

Arizona Foothills 911

Arizona Foothills 911 has one of the simplest mission statements around: neighbors helping neighbors in emergency situations.

The nonprofit serves Cave Creek, Carefree, Desert Hills and several surrounding communities.

It's particularly noteworthy in an area where horses and other livestock are common.

If someone needs help evacuating animals during a wildfire, has a trailer problem involving horses or faces another emergency where neighbors with equipment and experience can help, the organization can connect people who need assistance with people willing to provide it.

It's a resource worth knowing about before an emergency happens.

Kiwanis and the Marketplace

The Kiwanis presence in the Desert Foothills is another example of local activity that residents may recognize without realizing how much community work sits behind it.

Kiwanis Marketplace turns donated and resale items into funding that supports charitable and community programs.

Shopping at or donating to a thrift store may seem like a small action, but when those proceeds cycle back into local programs, the impact can extend well beyond the store itself.

Animal and Wildlife Organizations

Living near open Sonoran Desert means animals are an unusually visible part of community life.

Several organizations in and around the foothills focus on domestic animals, horses and native wildlife.

The Town of Cave Creek's volunteer resource list includes groups such as Foothills Animal Rescue, Puppy Luv Animal Rescue, Triple R Horse Rescue, Southwest Wildlife Conservation and Wild at Heart Raptor Rescue.

Their missions differ considerably, but together they illustrate how many people in this part of Arizona dedicate time and resources to animals.

Some focus on adoptable pets. Others work with horses or rehabilitate injured and displaced native wildlife.

We'll explore some of these organizations individually in future Discover Cave Creek stories.

There Are More Than We Can List Here

This isn't intended to be a complete directory.

The Town of Cave Creek's Volunteer Opportunities page lists numerous local organizations looking for community participation, including cultural groups, conservation organizations, animal rescues, social-service organizations and community programs.

That's probably the bigger story.

For a community Cave Creek's size, there's a remarkable amount happening behind the scenes.

Want to Help? Start With Something You Care About

People sometimes think volunteering means making a major commitment.

It doesn't have to.

Maybe you care about trails.

Maybe it's animals.

Maybe you'd like to help someone older get to a doctor's appointment.

Maybe you want to preserve local history.

Maybe you'd rather sort food, donate household items or help protect desert land.

Start there.

Find one organization whose mission means something to you and ask what they actually need.

Sometimes it's money.

Sometimes it's supplies.

Very often, it's time.

A Community Is More Than the Businesses Along the Road

When visitors think about Cave Creek, they naturally see restaurants, shops, horses, mountains and the Western character along Cave Creek Road.

Residents eventually discover another Cave Creek.

It's the network of people quietly helping someone get groceries, rescuing an animal, maintaining a trail, protecting a piece of desert or preserving a story that otherwise might disappear.

You may never need some of these organizations.

Hopefully you won't.

But it's good to know they're here.

And even better to know that if you ever want to help Cave Creek, there are plenty of places to start.

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