I’ve met Shashanda Trujillo once, and our encounter lasted maybe 10 minutes. But she’s stayed on my mind. 

I was covering a free spay-and-neuter clinic in the Independencia neighbourhood of Puerto Vallarta when I noticed a woman smiling as she tenderly cared for a nervous little kitty. Her smile was easy and unforced, the kind that immediately puts animals and people, at ease. There was a natural kindness about her that didn’t demand attention; it simply registered in the room. 

I could tell she had a story, and I knew I’d want to tell it one day.

Trujillo moved to Puerto Vallarta on Christmas Day 2021, leaving Dallas behind for this bright, humming city by the sea. Four years later, she’s become one of those quietly indispensable people. She’s the volunteer who remembers names, brings extra bandages and stays late to finish the paperwork. 

She spreads her time between RISE, Vallarta Cares, Friends of Puerto Vallarta Animals, and the Cuale Spay Neuter Clinics, and wherever she shows up, the place seems to hum a little more gently because of her presence.

“I always wished I had more time to give,” she said in that warm, unhurried way she has.

Before retiring, Trujillo supported organizations financially, but, like many of us juggling busy lives, she never felt she had enough hours. 

“When I knew I was coming to Mexico, I saw it as a golden opportunity,” she said, “because finally, I would have more time!”

That gift of time has been the hinge of her generosity. She didn’t suddenly become a superhero. She simply chose, deliberately, to invest her days where they could do the most good.

Her approach is small, practical and wise. 

“Sometimes the need seems endless,” Trujillo said, “but if we all do just a little, it goes a long way.” 

That sentence could be a motto for her volunteer efforts. It’s not about dramatic rescues or a single sweeping act; it’s the thousand tiny things that make life kinder: the folding of flyers, the answering of phones, the calming of a scared pup in pre-op, and the decision to sit and listen to someone who’s had a rough week, without needing to fix them. 

Trujillo  divides her time among groups that address different needs, but the throughline is always the same. Be present, be useful, and do what you can.

What Trujillo really understands, and what she carries like a gentle instruction for anyone who wants to help, is how much difference love and attention can make. 

“Being shown love and care changes lives, not only that of the receiver but also the giver,” she said. “My purpose is to share my passion for helping others in any capacity that I can.” 

I love that phrasing: helping “in any capacity.” It’s permission to plug in where you fit, whether lifting heavy boxes or offering quiet company. That humility is what keeps volunteers from burning out and keeps organizations functioning with heart rather than heroics.

Burnout is real, and Trujillo admits it candidly. 

“Volunteering is easy,” she said, “but it takes commitment.”

When she first arrived, she was out six days a week. She was eager, generous and perhaps a little overzealous. She learned quickly that her enthusiasm needed guardrails. 

“I can’t do it all, at least not all at once!” she said.

That realization freed her to be more strategic and sustainable. 

“I incorporated these things to ensure I could be the best version of myself,” she said, “while supporting others!” 

She built self-care into her calendar. Days off, yoga, walks, reading, travel and time with friends. It’s a model that’s deceptively radical. Treat your own well-being as part of your volunteer plan so that you can keep giving without emptying yourself.

There’s something restorative about Puerto Vallarta that feeds Trujillo’s work.

“Puerto Vallarta and its people have given me so much,” she said. “It is a place where time slows down, and occasionally even stands still. I feel healthier and more grounded than ever before.” 

That grounding shows in the way she moves through the city’s volunteer circuits: steady, kind, unfussy. 

And then there are the small joys she returns to, the ones that stitch her days together. 

“My favorite thing about living in Puerto Vallarta is sunsets,” she said. “No two are the same, but they are all absolutely beautiful!” 

Picture finishing a clinic shift, with sandy shoes and tired hands, and then catching a sky that softens everything. That’s the kind of simple balm that reminds you why you keep showing up.

Shashanda Trujillo’s volunteering touches both people and animals, and that dual focus is part of what makes her contribution so full-bodied. With Vallarta Cares, she helps neighbors access essentials and services; with Friends of Puerto Vallarta Animals and the Cuale Spay Neuter Clinic, she helps reduce suffering and prevents future generations of stray animals through fostering, adoption and humane sterilization. RISE brings together rescue, education and support in ways that require a patchwork of talents.

Invite someone to volunteer, and you’ll often hear the same hesitations: I don’t have the time; I don’t know where to start; I’m afraid I’ll get overwhelmed. Trujillo’s answer is the simplest and smartest I’ve heard. 

“Start with what you can, protect yourself, and keep your heart open,” she said. “Sometimes the need seems endless, but if we all do just a little, it goes a long way.” 

You feel the truth of it when she says it. It’s not a call to martyrdom; it’s a practical invitation to add a stitch to the whole cloth. One hour a week. One afternoon a month. A few dollars. An offer to foster. Those small, steady things add up.

Trujillo sees the potential in the broader community. 

“I hope that the volunteer community continues to grow,” she said. “People come here from every walk of life. They have ideas, experience and passion for what they do that can help make Puerto Vallarta an even better place to visit and live!” 

That’s civic optimism grounded in experience, and it’s a reminder that newcomers and longtimers alike bring different gifts that all matter. Skills-based volunteering, such as bookkeeping, translation marketing or grant writing, can have outsized effects because it frees up hands-on volunteers to be in the field.

Trujillo’s story is both an example and an invitation. She didn’t arrive with a grand plan to save the world; she arrived wanting a life that felt fuller and kinder. Four years later, that life looks like yoga mornings, books in the afternoon and volunteer shifts that make a neighborhood a little safer and a few more animals a little healthier.

If you’re reading this and you feel a tiny tug — maybe you have a skill, an extra hour on weekends or simply the willingness to sit and listen — take it from Trujillo, and bring what you have. Start small, be consistent and give yourself permission to rest. 

Whether you’re in Puerto Vallarta or somewhere altogether different, your community will reward you with steadier rhythms and the quiet satisfaction of having made life kinder.

Shashanda Trujillo’s story reminds us that thriving communities are built by ordinary people doing ordinary things with extraordinary care. And maybe if we all give a little — while remembering to keep a little back for ourselves — we might just surprise ourselves with how much that balance can change things. 

For everyone.

Charlotte Smith is a writer and journalist based in Mexico. Her work focuses on travel, politics and community.