The pantry began distributing pet food for dogs and cats in January 2016. We started with a skeleton crew of three volunteers (we now have 28 volunteers) and limited knowledge of how to run a pet food pantry and how to obtain donations of pet food. The first year we distributed a bit over 8,000 pounds of pet food. To date we have distributed well over 140,000 pounds (as of April 30, 2021).
In addition to pet food the pantry now has various programs, free spay/neuter for both pets and feral/stray cats, a medical fund, educational fund and vet program and a fund to assist pet parents help their pets cross the Rainbow Bridge. (visit our Facebook page for a detailed description.) The pantry issued 353 spay/neuter vouchers that provided this service to over 400 pets and feral cats.
We know that the pet parents who need financial help in caring for their pets would prefer doing it on their own if they could, so, we always try to make them feel comfortable, liked and respected. To this end we have (are and will) undertake small projects to achieve this objective. We have had many free of charge raffles where we donated gift baskets and gift cards, held small Christmas parties where the volunteers and some supporters provided gifts and cookies, had speakers, and a licensed massage therapist give chair massages.