Author: Kelly Edwards

Thank you to our partner, SpayToday

Did you know that in six years, one unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies. And in seven years, one female cat and her offspring can result in 370,000 kittens.* Spaying and neutering is the single-most important thing we can do to prevent homeless dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens from a life of suffering. 
*Source: Dogster Cat and Dog Neuter Statistics

One of the most common requests from clients at our pet food pantries is: Do you offer spay and neuter services? 

The short answer is no, but thanks to an incredible ongoing partnership with SpayToday on the Front Range of Colorado, we have the ability to provide the next step for our clients to have a resource for their pets to be spayed or neutered, free of cost.

Thanks to funding from an anonymous donor and Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary, SpayToday was able to clear the Colorado Pet Pantry waitlist and schedule free spay/neuters for all waiting clients on February 25th, World Spay Day.

Eileen Lambert, Executive Director of Colorado Pet Pantry shares, “For many years, SpayToday has helped our clients to receive a spay or neuter at no cost when times are tight. This important surgery can relieve stress in the home, improve the health of the pets, and makes a huge difference to the local animal shelters that are already at capacity. But we always have more clients that need the service than there are spaces available, so we have a running waitlist. This very generous gift from SpayToday and Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary means relief for many pets and families. We can clear the deck and focus on helping people to feed the pets that are already part of their loving family.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary and Colorado Pet Pantry!” shares Amira Watters, Executive Director for SpayToday. “On February 25th, we will be performing 40+ spay/neuter surgeries and preventing thousands of unwanted animals from suffering a life of homelessness and neglect.  💕 Together, we’re making a difference, one pet at a time!”

Thanks to the strength of our community, the support of our partners, and collaboration with fellow nonprofits, we are making Colorado an incredible place for pets and their families to thrive.

Your Friends at Colorado Pet Pantry

“You have SAVED us from parting each other’s company!” says Kathryn in Boulder when asked how Colorado Pet Pantry’s pet food assistance affected her pet family, consisting of both this beautiful orange kitty, plus the two kitties and dogs below.

In Boulder, we partner with human food bank, Emergency Family Assistance Association (EFAA). We are thankful for our supporters and partners who make helping multi-pet families such as Kathryn’s, possible.

“My four rescues. Thank you for helping me keep them fed and healthy!” Kenna in Cortez shares.

In our opinion, this picture shows everything we want to see. Beautiful, loved and healthy pets giving their focused attention to the human who loves them. Our Cortez location opened up this year along with our satellite warehouse, serving the Four Corners Region in Colorado. There is a large need for pet food assistance in this area and we are honored to be able to meet this need on a consistent basis.

“I am so very grateful for all of you. I have been down for the last now three months, struggling for food. You guys gave my girls a month and a half of food and treats you didn’t shame me for needing help…” Blu and Moo’s Mom, Dianne shares.

These two dogs join us at our Lafayette pet food pantry, in partnership with Sister Carmen. Anyone can fall on hard times for any number of reasons. Colorado Pet Pantry notoriously has some of the most gracious animal lovers in existence, but on top of that, our volunteers are there because they want to help fellow pet parents maximize the level of care they give their pets. We are not here to shame or judge anyone for their circumstance. We are here because if you need pet food, we are more than happy to supply you with that bag of dog or cat food, to help you bridge the gap until your next paycheck.

“I have utilized your services once and it was incredibly helpful! Being in a situation where I could use the support the Colorado Pet Pantry provides was humbling, however, your staff was so nonjudgmental, kind and thorough that it made the experience peaceful. Saving even $50 a month right now helps a lot and the donations I received certainly exceeded that value. The thoughtfulness of your organization is exceptional.” Kris from Thornton shares.

When we reached out to clients this October, this photo of Bella was one of the first to come in. Opening the email and seeing the backlit beauty of this calico feline took our breath away. And the personal moment that her mother, Kris, shared about her one and only experience with Colorado Pet Pantry was the perfect testimonial of why we exist.

Many people often find themselves in a financial predicament and do not know where to turn. We work hard to make sure Colorado pet families know we exist, so they can sleep easy at night. If you need pet food, we are here for you. We have 28 open-to-the-public locations where those in need of pet food can simply show up and walk away with what they need. We partner with human food pantries to target our services to low-income populations. We plan to be there for pet families well into the future and we thank our donors, partners and volunteers for supporting our mission in this pet-loving state. Our impact is felt by many of our clients during the hardest times in their lives. To be a small beacon of hope for some pet families is simply an honor.

100% of the pet food we distribute is generously donated by individuals, businesses, and pet food brands. In 2024, we redirected one million pounds of quality pet food, often near best-by dates or with blemished packaging, preventing waste, and helping feed pets in need.

See where your donations have made an impact:

Grand Junction: We reached the Western Slope of Colorado in 2020 with the formation of our Grand Junction/Clifton pet food pantry. With coordination between Western Slope Food Bank of the Rockies and Clifton Christian Church, this pet food pantry has grown to be the largest location we have.

• Volunteer at the Grand Junction Pet Food Pantry

Summit County Pet Food Pantry: The newest and only expansion of 2024, we are excited to partner with another pet food pantry in an effort to serve the area of Summit County, just beyond the Continental Divide of Colorado. This area hosts a large population of pet-families, many of whom are not able to take advantage of low-income services, due to owning pets. We are here to assist these families with essential pet food needs in an effort to keep families in this region together.

We Don’t Waste – Bruce Randolph School in Denver: Our largest location on the Front Range of Colorado, opened in November 2020. Since its inception, we have distributed over 159,363 pounds of dry food, 30,775 cans of wet food to 5,789 families and their 14,715 pets. To accomplish this, we partner with We Don’t Waste, a nonprofit specializing in human food distribution, to create a one-stop-shop for the entire family (humans and pets alike) to receive pet food assistance.

• Volunteer at the Bruce Randolph Pet Food Pantry

Alamosa County Fairgrounds – La Puente’s Food Bank Network of San Luis Valley: Stretching across the South Central region of Colorado is the San Luis Valley. Our pet food pantry, hosted at the local fairgrounds, in partnership with Dumb Friends League and La Puente’s Food Bank Network of San Luis Valley is a valued resource for pet owners in this area. Where the pet to human ratio is 4:1, these families need all the help they can get to keep their pets at home, and prevent the possibility of relinquishment to the over-crowded shelters.

• Volunteer at the Alamosa Pet Food Pantry

Towaoc – Ute Mountain Reservation: 386 miles from our Englewood Warehouse, over six mountain passes, we reach the Ute Mountain Tribal Lands and our furthest location from our Front Range hub. This pet food pantry has received almost 100,000 pounds of kibble since its inception in January 2021.