Pet Food Pantries
If you’re looking for a way to help animals and actually humans, too, so they don’t have to decide between feeding their families and their pets here’s an idea. I compiled a list of resources to help people with financial hardship get free pet food. My legislators have posted in their newsletters. I thought if anyone else wanted to do it for their area that would be great and to ask friends and family in other states to do the same thing. Here’s my to do list.
URGENT REQUEST: Here’s something you can do that’s both productive and can save lives.
- Enlist the help of your elected official, whether it be mayor or first selectman, so they will be on board to assist with the effort and spread the word.
- Check to see what local resources are available to help people who have a financial hardship feed their pets. Check with your local animal control, rescue groups, and social service agencies to see what’s available to help residents. We want to do all we can to avoid people surrendering their pets or God forbid, just releasing them in the streets. Our shelters, if not already, will be overwhelmed with fewer resources, few to no adoptions, but continued intake of pets in need. And it will probably only get worse. If there’s nothing available in your community, get a pet food bank started!
-
See if you have a statewide association of animal control officers and if so, check to see what they are doing in the effort and/or if they are monitoring the situation.
- After you identify who is available to help, contact social service agencies like food banks, the United Way, Meals on Wheels, etc. to let them know that help is available for their clients and give them contact information. Seniors could be particularly vulnerable, so be sure to include these agencies in your search.
- Spread the word. Your legislators are probably putting out blast emails with coronavirus updates, so let them know what resources are available and ask them to put the information out to let people know where to turn. They can also include in their SM. Also let your mayor/first selectman know for inclusion on the town website. Newspapers can also get the word out along with local animal rescue groups.
- Raise money to buy pet food to help these organizations. Start a FB fundraiser or ask your friends for donations.
This is what my State Representative put out in a separate email blast.
Dear Neighbor,
Our furry friends also need support during these difficult times – here are resources available for people who need assistance with pet food.
Please consider making a donation to these organizations to keep the pet food pantries stocked.
Adopt-A-Dog – Armonk/Greenwich
203-629-9494
914-273-1674
Greenwich Animal Control
203-622-8299
STARelief – Stamford
203-636-0971
CT Humane Society – Newington/Waterford/Westport
Pet Food Pantry Program
860-594-4500
CT Food Bank – Wallingford with multiple locations across the state
203-469-5000
Foster a Shelter Pet
This could be a dire time for animal shelters. Not only will they continue to take in animals, but their adoption process will be greatly curtailed if not halted altogether. So, this is the time to consider fostering a pet when your stress levels are so high and you’re home trying to find things to do.
Adorable Gladys needs a home!
Contact your local animal control or rescue group to see how you can help.
Donate, Donate, Donate
I know everyone needs help today. All non-profits are suffering. To make matters worse, this is the time of year when many have their annual fundraisers, which support them throughout the year, and they have now been canceled or postponed to later in the year. Please do what you can whether it’s a local organization, national, or international. Believe it or not, even gorillas are being affected by the virus and could face extinction…
What are you doing to help animals?
Sherry is one of the TriWivesClub and LifeDoneWell co-founders and contributes to multiple blogs. She is a former co-owner of the California Apparel News and had a career in the healthcare industry. Her passions include traveling, real food, the environment, and animal rescue/welfare. She lives a healthy lifestyle and has been a vegetarian since 1987. She and her husband are parents to two rescue pups and reside in Connecticut.
