Most people assume food pantries just give food to the poor and homeless.  Many pantries actually provide many more services than an emergency food box.  Once the word gets out that a food bank is distributing pet food, the demand climbs!

From a food pantry manager, “Nearly half of the people who come to our food pantry, whether homeless or living in extreme poverty have a pet.  We uncovered this statistic a couple of years ago, when a local vet was providing us with nearly 500 pounds of dog and cat food a month.  We were stunned at the number of people who were going hungry themselves to feed an animal, or were sharing their emergency food boxes with their pets.  I can’t begin to describe how grateful these people were; it certainly made me realize that this was an element of homelessness and poverty that we had totally overlooked.  We don’t have a regular supplier of pet food at the moment, it comes in spurts, and we need your help.”

Since this message came to our office we were able to recruit three local businesses to set up collection bins and are now taking pet food to this food pantry on a consistent basis.

How can you help?  Learn about becoming a Pets of the Homeless volunteer or a donation site at your business.