For more than 25 years, Kidd’s Beach resident Tracy Taylor has spent her spare time feeding stray animals, helping vulnerable families and organising community support projects — often relying on donations, raffles and public goodwill to keep the work going.
Through her long-running Starfish Initiative and other outreach projects, Taylor’s work stretches from rescuing stray dogs and caring for feral cats in the Eastern Cape to supporting soup kitchens, cancer fundraisers and wildlife preservation efforts.
“I basically feed strays, trap-neuter-release feral cats, rehome kittens and socialise them before they are adopted,” Taylor said.
“Even if you can save one, you’ve made a difference.”
Taylor said the Starfish Initiative was inspired by the well-known story about making a difference one life at a time.
Her animal welfare work includes rescuing stray dogs in Buffalo Pass and Cambridge Village, caring for feral and stray cats in Cambridge and Kidd’s Beach, and supporting Chacma baboon preservation efforts in the Cape Town South Peninsula.
“When I go to Cape Town, one of my main reasons is to help with the baboons, and we assist to make sure they safely cross roads and stay out of trouble,” she said.
Alongside her animal welfare work, Taylor has also been involved with the Cambridge Youth Society since 2016, helping support a soup kitchen and outreach programmes in Cambridge township.
Working with its founder, Lulamile Maciko, and about 10 volunteers, the organisation provides meals for more than 200 people a day, including children, elderly residents and child-headed households.
“We try to make sure people get meals five days a week, especially during winter,” Taylor said.
The organisation also keeps a register of regular beneficiaries to monitor vulnerable residents.
“If an elderly person misses a few meals, volunteers will go and check if they are okay,” she said.
“In the past, they found elderly people who had died alone in their shacks because nobody had checked on them.”
Taylor said much of the work depends entirely on donations and public support. She raises funds through raffles, social media campaigns, Mandela Day initiatives and community charity drives.
“I beg and borrow, then put the need out there on social media, and people step up. I have a very strong support base,” she said.
Last year, community members helped rebuild a collapsed shack within two days ahead of a Christmas event for more than 100 children.
“It’s such an amazing thing to see a community come together,” Taylor said.
Beyond the Cambridge projects, Taylor has also organised cancer fundraisers and supported organisations caring for abandoned and abused children, including Breath of Life in East London.
Having a mother who was a cancer survivor and losing close friends to it, she said that fighting the disease remained close to her heart.
“If there’s an opportunity to do something, I just think up an idea, and my brain just doesn’t stop,” she said.
Tania Seeger, who nominated Taylor for the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes accolade, said Taylor had dedicated decades to uplifting communities and protecting vulnerable animals through largely self-funded volunteer work.
“Despite holding a full-time job, Tracy engages fully in humanitarian, environmental, youth development and animal welfare initiatives,” Seeger said.
She said Taylor had also helped coordinate relief efforts for disaster-stricken communities, organised food assistance projects and supported cancer awareness initiatives and animal welfare campaigns.
Lee-Anne Michelle Roux of the Green Group, a non-profit organisation promoting harmonious human and wildlife co-existence, said Taylor had travelled from the Eastern Cape to assist with a public march in Simon’s Town advocating baboon protection.
“She flew here from the Eastern Cape for the event and has very passionately continued to advocate for the humane treatment of our troops by sharing our campaigns on social and other platforms,” Roux said.
Carin Renwick described Taylor as “the true definition of selflessness, compassion and community spirit”.
“No matter the cause, person or animal in need, she is always one of the first to step forward and offer help, support and encouragement,” Renwick said.
Sam Ramsay of Cancer Connection, a previous local Dispatch Local Hero, said Taylor recently approached her with the idea of hosting a fundraiser for a cancer-related charity in Kidd’s Beach over the Easter weekend.
“She chose my NPO, the Cancer Connection, and put a lot of effort into it,” Ramsay said.
“Tracy is committed to filling all her spare time with charitable efforts, even though she has a full-time job.
“She is incredibly passionate about animals, but she also supports many other causes, and she definitely counts as a local hero.”
Daily Dispatch