Pet food and supply donations needed as local struggle to feed pets grows

The current state of SNAP benefits highlights how food insecurity doesn’t affect just people.

It extends to our furry friends too.

But more support is available to make sure pets are also fed.

Animal advocacy groups, shelters, and local food pantries like Good Neighbors in Riverside said they are here to help.

“People don’t think there’s any support for them in the first place,” said Good Neighbors Volunteer Kevin P. Thornton.

He showed NBC 10 what items are collected for pets.

External Affairs Admission Advancement Director Amy Garofalo spoke with NBC 10’s Temi-Tope Adeleye. (WJAR)

“It’s cat food, [dog food], and sometimes we get the things they play with, you know,” said Thornton. “Shampoos that come for your animals sometimes.”

Good Neighbors, a benefactor of the Potter League of Animals in Middletown, has been collecting pet food and supply donations for a while, to help people who struggle to feed their pets.

A Potter League representative said they collected more than 40,000 pounds of pet food last year.

They distribute it to more than a dozen organizations listed below, which does not include housing developments that receive support from “mobile pantry” services.

Meals on Wheels in Providence has a home delivery service for its homebound clients and an in-person food pantry that is only open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays.

External Affairs Admission Advancement Director Amy Garofalo said both services give people access to pet food if they need it.

“Nutrition is one of the most important things at ‘Meals on Wheels’.” We want to make sure people are fed and so that also includes their pets,” said Garofalo.

“We don’t want them to be sharing their meals with their pets.”

Garofalo said they work receive donations from community pet food drives, their partnership with a pet supply supplier, and monetary donations designated for pet food.

Natural Elements Hair Salon in Wakefield also received pet food donations recently. Owner Suzanne Perrone said her collected donations will go to Pantry on the Lane in Bradford, where “they get pet food in and as soon as they get it, it flies off the shelves.”

A dog inside a shelter. (FILE)

Each of these organizations are collecting more donations to meet the growing needs of their clients.

So they ask for your support to make sure our furry friends are fed too.

“Should they need additional supports for their pets we are prepared to serve them,” said Garofalo. “But…this is a donation-based program, and so we are always open to receiving donations.”

You can donate funds to Meals on Wheels, Potter League for Animals, or Good Neighbors on their website.

They also take in person donations during regular business hours.

Potter League-supported locations where you can access pet food and supplies

Potter League says they typically receive two to three new client requests daily for pet food.

In the past couple of weeks that number has increased to six to eight requests, not including phone calls and foot traffic at their Middletown location.