For the past ten years, I’ve been part of a emergency food pantry network that provides assistance and boxes of food to the poor. Many of these people have family pets, and I am often surprised to hear of the level of concern that people have for their animals. They might not have eaten in several days, but have somehow managed to find a little food for their beloved dog or cat.
When a person is homeless or down on his luck, a dog or a cat can bring security, joy and stability into their lives. These pets are close or even best friends, and often the motivation that gets a discouraged person through yet another day. To insist that a homeless or poor person give up a family pet as a condition of receiving food is cruel. But, even the most compassionate food pantry volunteers among us experience a twinge of remorse, when learning that a can of beef stew or tinned chicken fed a dog instead of a hungry person. It’s times like these when having a bag of dog chow to pass along would have been a nice option.
How can you help?
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. In addition to food, some pantries distribute diapers, soap, bus tickets, and paper products, and even dog food when it’s available.
How can you help? Faith based pantries often operate on a shoe string budget, and the money just isn’t there to buy anything but human food. Check around with local food pantries to see who might be willing to distribute a regular donation of dog or cat food. For a list of food pantries near you, check with the closest branch of your state run Food Bank distribution center. They can put you in touch with all the food pantries in your area. Be prepared for some objections ~ not all pantries are willing to distribute pet food, feeling their ministry is feeding the poor and not their pets.
What kind of food to donate
The most economical way of donating pet food is in bulk. Many of our local pantries have the resources and time to repackage the food into small bags for a wider distribution. However if the pantries in your area are unable to package the food, simply gather a group of friends and repackage it yourself. Don’t forget to label the food so the volunteers know if it’s for a dog or cat.
The vast majority of people needing pet food seem to be feeding either large dogs or house cats. Adult sized large breed dog food is an excellent choice. For cats, Friskies and Meow Mix adult food seem pretty popular.
Once the word gets out that a pantry is distributing pet food, the demand will begin to climb. If you find that you can’t afford to continue donating hundreds of pounds of pet food every month, see if your local veterinarian can help. Food past the shelf life needs to go somewhere, what better place than a food bank?
Pets are God’s children just like everyone else, and those who bring joy to the homeless certainly deserve a little compassion along with a bowl of food. By donating pet food to a local pantry, you are providing nutritious food for a family pet, which leaves the canned stew and chicken to nourish hungry families.
