CAPRON, Ill. (WIFR) – A steady stream of pet owners came through the door of My Three Pups Pet Food Pantry Tuesday morning as dozens picked up food for their furry friends.
My Three Pups Pet Food Pantry, 142 W. Main St., is a small nonprofit in the Village of Capron and one of only a few pet food pantries in the region.
“We give out three pounds of dog food per dog, up to three dogs. One three pound package of cat food for the cats in the house, a bag of wet cat food, and then we usually have treats,” explained Becky Edwards, the founder of My Three Pups.
Edwards created the pet food pantry back in 2016 with hopes of keeping animals out of shelters. Throughout the years, the pantry’s mission has extended beyond supporting those who need help financially.
“It’s during hard financial times that we want to be here for people to supplement their feeding of their animals, so that they can stay in their house,” said Edwards. “We are here to feed the animals, but in doing so we are also helping their people because we’ve had so many stories over the years where people are feeding their food to their pets and going without.”
Now, the pantry itself is in need of help. My Three Pups says it lost out on a $5,100 grant through the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.
Edwards says the grant accounted for half of the pet food pantry’s revenue and planned to set aside the money for rent. She says none of the volunteers take a dime in salary and all money goes toward operating expenses including utilities, supplies and pet food.
“I can’t imagine us not being here for people because we’ve been here almost 10 years now,” said Edwards.
She explains the grant provider told her the need is so high this year, half of the applicants were turned away.
The pet food pantry gets about 80 pet families in every Tuesday during it’s distribution hours. That does not include new families that come in every day. On Nov. 25, eight new applicants registered with the pet food pantry.
“Our numbers keep growing, we get new people all the time,” stated Edwards.
Edwards says the number of families it helps equates to hundreds of pets. She says the pantry goes through about 200 pounds of cat food every week and 600 pounds of dog food, all while running on a four-figure budget.
“We just love what we do, and we don’t want to go anywhere,” said Edwards.
Cindy Roman used to get food for her cats at the pantry. Now, she is a volunteer who helps out regularly. She says it can be emotional, because they just want to help out every single one of the pets and their families.
“Every little donation keeps us going,” said Roman.
How to help
Both Edwards and Roman say anything, from supplies to monetary donations will help the pet food pantry.
For those who would like to donate, the pantry says it is always open to donations of pet food, especially cat kibble.
The pantry accepts monetary donations through its PayPal account, becausetheyalldeservetolive@outlook.com and by check to the pantry’s registered 501(c)(3) name, Because They All Deserve to Live. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 143 Capron, Illinois, 61012.
My Three Pups distributes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. Donations to the pet food pantry are also accepted during that time.
More information about My Three Pups is available on its website and Facebook page.
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