Animal Welfare Professionals

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Hi Lisa,

I oversee the Community Pet Pantry at San Diego Humane Society.  I don't have a lot of experience distributing to those with exotics or farm animals, but I've been supplying food to dog and cat owners for over 10 years. 

Our pantry is set up to meet the demand of a large city of mostly cat and dog owners and is presented as a supplemental service. We've had great success scaling up sustainably by repackaging our food and supplies into standardized portions. There's an added cost, but it helps set expectations for recipients, eases our data tracking, and allows us to brand the packaging.  When a person visits any of our pantries, they have the option to get an 8lb bag of dry dog food or a 4lb bag of dry cat food, 1-2 cans of wet food (depending on availability), litter if available, and a toy or treat if available. If someone has a cat and a dog in need, we ask them to pick dry for one and give wet for the other. Supplies are given on a per person basis, not per pet, so it makes data tracking easier when 1 bag always equals 1 person. Also, by portioning the supplies, it helps you predict how long your runway is.

We try to reduce any potential barriers to accessing supplies, so we don't ask questions and assume if they are at our pantry, then they are a person in need.  I would avoid a first come first serve approach where the pet owners depending on you don't know what to expect each time. I've found that even if the portions given are reduced for control, the community will appreciate a level of consistency, so they can factor what you're able to provide into their budgets and decide if it's worth their time.  

I have profound respect for you seeing the void left by your local foodbank closing, and taking action! If you want to talk further chat - qdoulgas-hiley@sdhumane.org

Quinn

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We don't have a program, but we advertise that we help families in need. We use an honor system. 

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Thanks Robin, 

We are planning to advertise in our local newspaper and through social media. I think the honor system is going to be the easiest way for us to get started

We don't have a program, but we advertise that we help families in need. We use an honor system. 

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Thank you Amber, We were thinking of limiting to three months in a row too. Everyone here has been so helpful! 

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Limits won't be needed, maybe. You'll have to see what your supply and demand ends up being once you get started. You can always warn folks in person that your supply is low and they can't rely on it every month or for very long. Get email and/or cell phone numbers on the sign-in sheet so you can blast messages to folks with updates on availability of food.

Thank you Amber, We were thinking of limiting to three months in a row too. Everyone here has been so helpful! 

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We also run a pet food pantry at our shelter. Can I ask how of your organizations obtain food. Right now we operate strictly by donations.

Limits won't be needed, maybe. You'll have to see what your supply and demand ends up being once you get started. You can always warn folks in person that your supply is low and they can't rely on it every month or for very long. Get email and/or cell phone numbers on the sign-in sheet so you can blast messages to folks with updates on availability of food.

Thank you Amber, We were thinking of limiting to three months in a row too. Everyone here has been so helpful! 

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

I live just outside of Dallas, Texas and we get bulk food at a discount through Greater Good Charities.  

https://greatergood.org/goods

Looks like they have operations all over the US.

We also run a pet food pantry at our shelter. Can I ask how of your organizations obtain food. Right now we operate strictly by donations.

Limits won't be needed, maybe. You'll have to see what your supply and demand ends up being once you get started. You can always warn folks in person that your supply is low and they can't rely on it every month or for very long. Get email and/or cell phone numbers on the sign-in sheet so you can blast messages to folks with updates on availability of food.

Thank you Amber, We were thinking of limiting to three months in a row too. Everyone here has been so helpful! 

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We also run a pet food pantry at our shelter. Can I ask how of your organizations obtain food. Right now we operate strictly by donations.

------------------------------
Anne Enright
Capital Area Humane Society

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2023 02:11 PM
From: Donna Miller
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

Limits won't be needed, maybe. You'll have to see what your supply and demand ends up being once you get started. You can always warn folks in person that your supply is low and they can't rely on it every month or for very long. Get email and/or cell phone numbers on the sign-in sheet so you can blast messages to folks with updates on availability of food.

------------------------------
Donna Miller
Happy Stripes, cat rescue in Ohio

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2023 11:23 AM
From: Lisa Burns
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

Thank you Amber, We were thinking of limiting to three months in a row too. Everyone here has been so helpful! 

------------------------------
Lisa Burns
founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary Inc

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2023 10:35 AM
From: AMBER LEE
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

------------------------------
AMBER LEE
Mountain View Humane

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2023 10:21 AM
From: Lisa Burns
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

------------------------------
Lisa Burns
founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary Inc

Original Message:
Sent: 03-16-2023 10:11 AM
From: Donna Miller
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

------------------------------
Donna Miller
Happy Stripes, cat rescue in Ohio

Original Message:
Sent: 03-13-2023 09:59 AM
From: Lisa Burns
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Lisa Burns
founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary Inc
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Limits won't be needed, maybe. You'll have to see what your supply and demand ends up being once you get started. You can always warn folks in person that your supply is low and they can't rely on it every month or for very long. Get email and/or cell phone numbers on the sign-in sheet so you can blast messages to folks with updates on availability of food.

Thank you Amber, We were thinking of limiting to three months in a row too. Everyone here has been so helpful! 

We operate a food pantry at our spay/neuter clinic. The food pantry is "open" only on certain days/times that we know are well staffed. The person in need is asked to bring in an ID. They do not need to "prove" anything (such as medicaid/snap, etc). However, we keep their information on file. Each person is allowed to get food once a month for 3 months, then they need to "Take a break." They are allowed to get food for 1 pet per month, and it is calculated based on the pet's weight. 

Thanks Donna, 

I agree first come/first serve maybe once or twice a month will be the easiest. We could set a limit like someone else suggested so that no one person can take all the donations. A sign in sheet is a great idea. One of our board members suggested we do that as well and make a place on the sign in for people to check if they are interested in volunteering. Showing their snap or medicaid card is a good idea too. I hate to be skeptical of people but you never know. We really want to be able to help those that need it the most

I would avoid making this more difficult and time-consuming for you. No appointments, just set days/times for first come, first served. And no paperwork other than a sign in sheet so you have some documents for your annual non-profit status reports. You could start out asking folks to show their SNAP, Medicaid or Medicare cards if you want to weed out grifters. Once you get to know your "regulars," that won't be necessary.  Also, if you have any unhoused folks encamped nearby, you could take a load of pet food there once a month.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

I work at a pet resource center. The number one reason why people come to us for help is food, and similar to other comments we assume that if they come to us for help they are in need. We do collect everyone's contact information and some demographic information, as well as information about their pets. We use this for reporting. We repackage all of the food into Ziploc bags. Dog food goes in a gallon bag and cat food goes in a quart bag. Currently folks are able to get one bag per pet up to a max of four bags. We had to put this restriction in when supply dropped last year. We are open 3 days a week for a total of 12 hours per week, and we encourage clients to request food only when absolutely needed. We make it clear to them that it is supplemental food and not meant to be their only supply. We do ask that folks only come every other month, so there's enough food for the 6,000 households we're serving. Having said that some folks really struggle, and visit us more often than others. That's okay with us because we never want a pet to go hungry, and we certainly don't want anyone to have to surrender their pet because of a lack of pet food. 

We get our food from individual donors, a local boutique pet food store, overflow from local shelters (we couldn't do it without them!), and Greater Good Rescue Bank. For the first time last year, donations were not enough, and we had to purchase food. Because we anticipate an uptick in clients this year, we looked for funding for the pet food pantry so that we could supplement donations by purchasing food. We are grateful to have received a substantial grant from a small local funder.

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Lots of good suggestions here. But I would recommend against asking for ID or SNAP/medicaid/medicare cards. Most people who need those services are not actually getting them, and asking for those things also means you are banning families with undocumented members from getting pet food. 

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Hi M,
I was concerned about that as well. I think a sign in sheet would work best that way we can keep track of how many people we are helping.

Lots of good suggestions here. But I would recommend against asking for ID or SNAP/medicaid/medicare cards. Most people who need those services are not actually getting them, and asking for those things also means you are banning families with undocumented members from getting pet food. 

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

Hi Lisa, 
Another great option in addition to a sign-in sheet on the day of your pantry is to get the word out about your pet food pantry and create a pre-registration form where people from your community who are interested and in need of pet food can share their basic information and what type of food they are in need of. This will also help to streamline your future pantries to cater to those needs.

Doobert.com has a new Companion Case Management module and some rescue and shelter organizations are using it to manage their pet food pantries. To make things easier for you, we could explore the option of creating this form (or like forms) for you. That way the people from your community could fill it out and submit the form and it would automatically open a new case in your dashboard. This will allow you to track those that are in need of pet food and compare the cases to your sign-in sheet to see how many times a single person has attended your pantry and received food. Another great reason Doobert may be a good fit is that the majority of the features are free to use.

I'd love to jump on a call with you to walk through how this would work and the different ways Doobert can help aid your process a bit so you can stay focused on the more important things. If this is something that interests you feel free to schedule some time on my calendar or let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to help!

Hi M,
I was concerned about that as well. I think a sign in sheet would work best that way we can keep track of how many people we are helping.

Lots of good suggestions here. But I would recommend against asking for ID or SNAP/medicaid/medicare cards. Most people who need those services are not actually getting them, and asking for those things also means you are banning families with undocumented members from getting pet food. 

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

#PetSupportServices*

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Lisa Burns
founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary Inc
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Starting a pet food bank at your sanctuary for the community is a wonderful can make a significant impact and their owners. Here are some get started:

1. Identify the need: Conduct research to determine the demand for a pet food bank in your community. You can local animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and pet-related organizations to gather data in need.

2. Set up a plan: Create a plan for your pet food bank, including what types of pet food and supplies you will provide, how you will and how you will distribute them. You can also consider partnering with local businesses or organizations to

3. Spread the word: Promote your pet food bank through social media, local newspapers, and community bulletin boards. You can also local media outlets for coverage.

4. Set up a distribution system: Determine how you will food and supplies, such as through a pick-up location or home delivery service. You can also consider partnering with local food banks or community organizations to reach a wider audience.

5. Monitor and evaluate: Keep track of the number of pets and owners you help with through your pet food  evaluate your program to ensure that it the

Remember that starting a pet food bank takes time and it can be a valuable resource for pet owners in

a slow-feeder dog bowl. Good luck with your project!

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Salena Roy
Marketing Associate
SaintNMike

Original Message:
Sent: 03-13-2023 09:59 AM
From: Lisa Burns
Subject: Starting a pet food bank at our sanctuary for our community

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

#PetSupportServices*

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Lisa Burns
founder/VP
Farmhouse Animal and Nature Sanctuary Inc
------------------------------

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!

My old shelter used to have a short application just to keep track of who needed food so we could try help them in other ways if we found they needed food often. 

I also wanted to give you another lead on places to get food. Some big box stores will donate their broken bags of food that can't be sold. Our WalMart had a big bin of ripped bags or dented cans that they would tape up and call us or the local cat rescue to come pick up. You may want to consider reaching out to pet stores and other retail locations who might be willing to do the same. 

We have a 501c3 nonprofit farm and exotic animal sanctuary in rural Florida. Recently our community's food bank had to close their doors. I spoke with the founder of the food bank who told me the # one requested item from the community was pet food so they could keep their pets. We've decided to start a pet food bank at our sanctuary. We will offer cat and dog food to families who may be having temporary financial difficulties so they can keep their pets at home. Our main focus though, will be to offer free, pet food for pocket/exotic pets and farm animals (such as rabbits, pigs, horses).  We already have a local dog rescue on board who will be donating their overstock dog food that they can't use, a local pet store who has set up a donation box in their store and another local company who will be offereing deep discounts of pet food for our program. We are still in the planning stages and have a storage building coming in to house the feed. 

My questions are for anyone who has started such a program or worked with a pet food bank, do you have those in need fill out an application or do you use the honor system? Do you limit the number of months a person can receive help? Do you offer a first come first serve on a specific day or set up individual appointments?   Thanks in advance!