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Join us for GivingTuesday and Colorado Gives Day

As we celebrate GivingTuesday today, and with Colorado Gives Day just one week away, we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight just a few examples of the impact that YOUR support has made in our community this past year.

Your donations and volunteer hours have directly helped thousands of Colorado Pet Pantry clients this year. Including Bradley who sent us this message: “I had recently fallen upon hard times and was desperate to feed my service dog who had just finished her last scoop of kibble. I suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and and I was unemployed at the time with absolutely no resources. I sent one email and immediately received a call back and was given the most sincere help and attention. Talk about a lifesaver. Quite literally. The day after I received the food,  I had a heart attack. I was unable to be at home with my service dog and thankfully I had enough food that the neighbor could feed her while I was recovering in the Intensive Care unit at the hospital. Thank you so very much for your wonderful team and volunteers.”

Your response to our call for help during times of crisis have been overwhelming. On the morning of December 30, 2021 when the Marshall Fire started, thousands of Boulder County residents were forced out of their homes so quickly that they were lucky if they were able to save their pets– very few had time to gather pet food or supplies. You came through with flying colors when we made the request for pet beds. Not only did we receive over 1000 pet beds and other supplies to give out during the two weeks that we had a table set up at the Disaster Assistance Center, but many of you volunteered your time, transportation and other resources to help our fellow community members take care of their fur babies during this extremely tough time. Liz (pictured) and her children lost their home in the fire, and Liz’s mother lost her home as well. The donations and support that you gave to help Liz take care of her two dogs after this tragedy and loss gave her one less worry and put that smile on her face.

You have helped us to expand and support our more rural Colorado communities that are experiencing a significant increase in need. We are now in 31 counties, thanks to your continual support, and we’ve found the need is exceptionally high in the more rural parts of our state. Trinidad, Swansea, Grand Junction, and Pueblo areas have also all experienced a significant increase in need. Most families have three pets, so it costs $15/month for us to help support a whole family that wants to stay together. Your support is helping to make this achievable for these families.

It’s been a hard year for many– clients and donors alike, but even a small donation on this GivingTuesday can make a lasting impact. We’d be so grateful for anything you are able to give.

To make your donation go even further, we’d love it if you’d donate to Colorado Pet Pantry through Colorado Gives Day. All donations placed here through midnight on December 6th will be partially matched.

And while we have your eyes, please take just one minute to nominate us for this $5000 award from SCHEELS. TODAY (Tuesday, November 29) IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE. This award would be a HUGE win for us on Colorado Gives Day. 

Join millions of others around the world today in giving back, spreading kindness and showing how together we can make a difference in our own communities. Your support is what makes all of this possible and we are so grateful.

Help Us Make Raise the Woof! a Success!

It’s so impactful when our supporters invite their friends and family to join them in supporting Colorado Pet Pantry. People tend to support causes when they hear good references about the nonprofit. To make this easy, we have written a short email that we’d LOVE for you to send to friends/family. Feel free to edit. You could post on social media too if that’s your preference, though email is more impactful because it’s personal.


Suggested Subject: Join me on October 8th to Raise the Woof!

Hi friends! I wanted to personally invite you to join me at the Colorado Pet Pantry Raise the Woof! Rooftop Party for a Cause, presented by LHM Nissan Arapahoe, on October 8 in downtown Denver. This cause is important to me because of their commitment to helping local communities throughout the state by providing pet food to families and pets in need. One thing I learned that I hadn’t thought of previously was that by partnering with human food banks, CPP helps ensure that the already limited “human” food is reserved for the humans, and that pets receive balanced/healthy/appropriate meals. (Did you know that people cannot buy pet food with food stamps?! So when times are tight, either the pets are hungry or people are sharing their own food to feed their dogs and cats.)
I hope you’ll consider joining me for a fantastic night at the X Denver in downtown Denver next month at Colorado Pet Pantry’s largest fundraiser of the year: Raise the Woof! Please get your tickets and come out to support this amazing non-profit. There will be live music and plenty of delicious cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Plus, good friends are always good for a good time! 🙂 https://www.coloradopetpantry.org/woof
And if you can’t make it this year, please forward this information about Raise the Woof! to your pet-minded friends, families and networks… Every additional person that attends will help the organization to feed 20 dogs and cats for a full month.
Hope to see you October 8!

September – Applewood Furnace Check

Our wonderful friends at Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric have once again selected Colorado Pet Pantry as a program recipient for their Furnace Checks for Charity program this year! They are offering an amazing deal for the month of September that you won’t want to miss.

If you schedule your 14-Point “Energy Squeezer” furnace systems check from Applewood during the month of September and mention Colorado Pet Pantry, 100% of your payment goes straight to Colorado Pet Pantry. Woof! Woof!

Normally a $199 service, Applewood offers this to our supporters for just $99. Schedule your service today by calling (303) 232-6611.

Record Breaking Pet Food Banks Continue in Southeastern Colorado

The line consistently long at our June 2022 Alamosa Pet Food Bank in partnership with La Puente’s Food Bank

Sometimes the line is never ending. This has been the story of our Southeastern Colorado Pet Food Banks. In the last week of June we distributed over 16,000 lbs of dry pet food to families in need in Trinidad, Cañon City, Alamosa and Pueblo. The need has been skyrocketing and doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. We often feel the need for pet food decrease in the summer, but not this year. So many hardships are affecting our communities today, and we are doing our best to be there for them. We are only able to be there because of our amazing volunteers and supporters, but the supply chain is affecting us and the amount of donations we receive. Pet food brands are making less food each year after 2+ years of having fewer operational factories. Add to this inflation and general unease, and we find ourselves asking for more help.


What can you do to help?

  • VOLUNTEERS: We need a lot more volunteers in these areas. Especially Trinidad and Alamosa. If you know someone or would like to volunteer, please sign up HERE.
  • PET FOOD DRIVES: Donations are down and we are struggling to keep up with the rising need. We recently lowered our food distributions per family at our pet food banks, and even after capping the food amounts we have only seen the totals rise. We are now looking to our supporters to help their communities by hosting pet food drives. You can host a physical pet food drive or a virtual one. Click HERE to learn more about how.
  • DONATIONS: Running a pet food bank has many associated costs. Storage, staff, gas, and shipping costs have all gone up in the last couple of years. But these are expenses that are vital to our organization. Donating to us through our website, HERE, is an easy way to give. And thanks to our pet food partnerships, just donating $5 can feed a dog or cat for an entire month.
Some of the pets we helped and volunteers who helped us at our three very busy Southeastern Colorado Pet Food Banks this June 2022.

2021 – Continuing the Trend

In 2021, we continued the trajectory of exponential growth. We served upwards of over 100,000 pets for an entire month, at over 100 monthly pet food banks across the state. We distributed over 1 million pounds of dry pet food, and 400,000 cans of wet food, to over 32,000 families across Colorado. This equates to 6 million meals for dogs and cats for an entire month. All we can say is WOW!

We realize this type of growth is not sustainable, long term, unless we fulfill our goal for 2022: Stabilize. We are committed to developing strong local partnerships and community bonds this year.

We need more volunteers, donation drop off partner stores, large pet food donors, fiscal sponsors, and animal welfare colleagues willing to work with us across all our new monthly pet food bank locations to make this program permanent.

We are so happy to be serving a much larger population, and we will do all we can to keep our commitment to them.

How can you help?

There are several ways to become an active part of Colorado Pet Pantry.

  • Become a donor – donating to Colorado Pet Pantry is easy, and thanks to our pet food partners, we can take just $5 and stretch it to feed one pet for an entire month.
  • Volunteer at a local pet food bank or fundraising event.
  • If you are in the Denver area, we invite you to join our Warehouse Volunteer Group and help us prepare pet food pallets for our upcoming pet food banks.
  • Know a pet food and supply store or local veterinary office that you think would house a donation bin for us? Email us at kelly@coloradopetpantry.org to find out how you can help facilitate this connection!
  • Start a pet food drive. Many of our food donations come from corporate or private pet food drives. Learn how to host your own pet food drive.

Boulder County Fire Response

Colorado Pet Pantry is working in Boulder County to provide relief to those affected by the recent fires. The response from our community has been incredible. Now that we are a few days out from the disaster, we are taking a moment to assess the current needs of the community and develop a plan to best assist them through this disaster and into the future. We have updates in three major areas:

  1. Schedule of Distribution Events:
    We will update here when we have a new distribution event. Past events will be removed from the list as to keep unnecessary information to a minimum. If you are in need of assistance and cannot make it to any of the listed events, please contact us directly by filling out an Emergency Form or by texting Eileen at 720-441-3111.
    ** We will no longer be at the Boulder Disaster Center. We will have supplies available at the Resource Distribution Center.
    • Open Daily from 9AM to 7PM
    • Nordstrom’s – Flatiron’s Mall in Broomfield between Dick’s Sporting Goods & Macy’s Entrance
    • This is available to anyone affected by the Marshall Fire in Boulder County
  2. Colorado Pet Pantry Donation Needs:
    Right now, monetary donations are critical. What we do requires a substantial amount of funds. This will enable us to pay for items such as storage for donations, gas to distribution events, etc. We also need more volunteers. As we add events, we will post corresponding links for volunteers to sign up. Please click below to see other volunteer opportunities available. We are accepting pet food and supplies. Click on the link below to find a list of locations in your area where you can drop off donations. The biggest need in this area are for new dog beds and toys.
  3. Nonprofit Community Network:
    With a disaster like this, it takes many organizations working together to create the adequate response. Right now, the number one need is monetary donations. Physical donations will be needed in the future, as those affected begin to rebuild their lives. Here are links to several of the nonprofits working to aid those affected by the fires.

If you have an update you would like us to share, please email kelly@coloradopetpantry.org

Holiday Pet Food Bank Schedule

It’s that time of the year! Many of our pet food banks will be on a special schedule for November and December, due to the holiday season. Please check the list below to see when your pet food bank is scheduled. All of these reschedules will be notated on our normal calendar, which can be found at coloradopetpantry.org/foodbank

DECEMBER:

  1. Lynn Garden’s Baptist Church, 3804 W Pueblo Blvd in Pueblo (more info)
    Wednesday, December 15th, 10AM-12PM
  2. EFAA, 1575 Yarmouth Ave in Boulder (more info)
    Thursday, December 16th, 2:30PM-4:30PM
  3. Sharing Ministries, 49 North 1st Street in Montrose (more info)
    Friday, December 17th, 9:30AM-12:30PM
  4. Western Slope Food Bank of the Rockies, 3241 F 1/4 Road in Clifton (more info)
    Saturday, December 18th, 9AM-11AM
  5. Food Bank for Larimer County, 2600 N Lincoln Ave in Loveland (more info)
    Saturday, December 18th, 1PM-3PM
  6. Ordway Pet Food bank, Location TBD in Ordway (more info)
    Monday, December 20th, 2PM-3:30PM
  7. St Michael’s Catholic Church, 1016 Mystic Ave in Cañon City (more info)
    Saturday, January 8th, 10AM-1Pm

September – Applewood Furnace Check

Every September our wonderful friends at Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric have an amazing fundraiser for Colorado Pet Pantry. This is a great deal!

If you schedule your 14-Point “Energy Squeezer” furnace systems check from Applewood during the month of September and mention Colorado Pet Pantry, 100% of your payment goes straight to Colorado Pet Pantry. Woof! Woof!

Normally a $199 service, Applewood offers this to our supporters for just $99. Schedule your service today: Go to https://www.applewoodfixit.com

We Are Here for Colorado

2020 Was a Year of Unprecedented Growth at Colorado Pet Pantry

2020 was quite a year for all of us, in many different ways. At Colorado Pet Pantry we saw the need for pet food assistance grow exponentially. We were ready. Over the prior years we had been building our infrastructure, and developing our network of donation locations, volunteers, and supporters. We were unknowingly preparing for something we never saw coming. When COVID arrived, we were ready to help our community keep their families together. We all saw how important the company of our furry friends were during that time (and still today), and we were honored to have the opportunity to take part in preserving those relationships.

When we put together the numbers, not just from last year, but from in comparison to our first year, 2013 until now, we were shocked. The exponential curve is clear as day. The need is growing, and we are right there with it. Let’s take a look…

We started in 2013 with one pet food bank in Denver. We provided one month’s supply of pet food to 858 pets that year, and began developing our system to help those who were struggling to feed their pets. Each year we grew exponentially larger. We worked out the kinks in our system and continued to develop relationships with human food banks and other partner nonprofits in an attempt to streamline our services.

We didn’t want our clients to have any difficulty using our services. It’s not easy to have to go to one place to get human food, and another place to get pet food. We envisioned a one-stop-shop for food and supplies.

We ended 2020 with over 80 pet food bank locations, and currently, in August of 2021 we have 94 pet food banks across the state of Colorado. In 2020, we distributed 943,807 lbs of dry pet food and 120,633 cans of wet food, serving more than 5.1 million meals across the state to pets in need.

These numbers blew away previous years as we grew and reached areas in the state we had only dreamed about in the past. We knew there was a need in areas such as the Western Slope, Southeast Colorado, and the Eastern Plains. Thanks to this growth, we were able to help 37,093 families keep their pets home with them, and out of the shelters.

Now in 2021, we are the largest pet food pantry in the USA. We are distributing pet food in 29 counties across the state and assisting 100 animal rescues with food and supplies. We are always adding new locations and new partners.

We are continuing to build our infrastructure by adding staff and acquiring trucks to help with transport and deliveries. We are reaching out to populations and developing relationships in areas we never dreamed we’d be.

How can you help?

Colorado Pet Pantry 2022 Calendar Contest

The 2022 Colorado Pet Pantry Calendar Contest starts Tuesday May 4th and runs through June 4th!

Winner of the 2021 Contest, Dr. O

Will Dr. O retain his crown as cover dog? Or will he pass it off to Denver’s Next Top Dog-Model? Oh the anticipation is almost too much to handle!

  • Enter your dog for just $5 at 
    www.gogophotocontest.com/ColoradoPetPantry
    Your $5 entry feeds one pet for a whole month
  • Rally your friends and family to vote for just $1 per vote.
  • You have one month to gain the most votes. Contest ends June 4th at 9PM.
  • The pet with the most votes at the end of the contest will win the coveted “Cover Dog”.
  • Our top 13 vote-getters will each win the grand prize, which includes a mini-session with Furever Friends Pet Photography and a feature in the 2022 Calendar, benefiting Colorado Pet Pantry!
  • Honor your pet: celebrate a gotcha-day or birthday by reserving a date on the calendar with their photo for $10.
  • BONUS: If we raise over $10,000, each Grand Prize Winner will receive a 16″x20″ Wall Print of their pet’s calendar feature on Classic Canvas, Modern Metal, or Stunning Acrylic.
  • SECOND BONUS: Each week we will have amazing pet-related baskets of prizes for the current vote leader.
Sample baskets for running leaders in this contest.
Enter Your Pet Now

Last year’s winners of the 1st Annual 2021 Calendar Contest (woof and quack!) This contest is always a ton of fun and a great fundraiser for Colorado Pet Pantry. Please join us, enter your pet today!

Dog Friendly Brewery Pass Benefiting Colorado Pet Pantry

Have we got a deal for you…
The Sidewalk Dog Brewery Pass
This is a pass you purchase (on pre-sale pricing now until April 26th) where 5% of the proceeds go to Colorado Pet Pantry. With eligible breweries all along the front range, this is a screaming deal.

If you buy today, you can get your pass at a price of only $22.50 (or $20 for two; normally $25) and you can head to breweries with your pup (non-dog hoomans allowed too) and enjoy a pint of beer (or non-alcoholic alternative) while supporting Colorado Pet Pantry.

This is a great opportunity to support local businesses and local non-profits at the same time. All you do is go to this link, purchase your pass, and select Colorado Pet Pantry as your beneficiary. We hope to see you out and about…

Thank you to these breweries for supporting the pets we serve! Avery Brewing Company, Barnett & Son Brewing Co, Beyond The Mountain Brewing Company, Bruz Off Fax, Bruz Beers, BURLY Brewing Company, DV8 Distillery, Discovery Tap House, Front Range Brewing Company, Gravity Brewing, Grist Brewing Company (3 locations), Holidaily Brewing Company, Improper City, Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse, Odyssey Beerwerks, Over Yonder Brewing, Raices Brewing Co., Rails End Beer Company: Craft Beer & Tap Room, SomePlace Else Brewery, Welcome Home Brewery, Westminster Brewing company, Wonderland Brewing Company, and Woods Boss Brewing.

Keeping Families Together During a Global Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, families across the state have struggled with lost income, mounting expenses, and in many cases, a choice of whether to feed their pet or themselves. This situation is what often leads people to make the heartbreaking decision to surrender their pets to a shelter. Not only is that hard on the pet, but also on the owner, who loses their companion and emotional support, something that is needed most during a pandemic. Studies have shown that pets can improve a person’s mental and emotional well-being, leading to less stress and a better-functioning immune system, which is why it is important to help others in our community keep their pets in their home.

Colorado Pet Pantry is committed to helping families keep their pets fed during challenging times by providing food, treats, and supplies. We are proud to have been able to help so many people throughout the past year. We asked some of our clients to share how Colorado Pet Pantry has helped them during the pandemic. Read on to hear what they had to say about how your support is making a difference in your community!

“I’ve experienced some challenging times in the past 12+ months. I was very fortunate to receive unemployment insurance, which kept a roof over the heads of myself and my beloved dog, Coco.

Colorado Pet Pantry, without question or judgment, showed up at Bienvenidos Food Bank to offer nourishment and sustenance for Coco. I am teary eyed writing this testament to the beautiful hearts and assistance provided to those of us who are genuinely in need by the selfless people at the Colorado Pet Pantry. My dog is my family, my heart, and it has always meant so much to me to know that she had food in her bowl when I was struggling just to keep a roof over our heads. I will forever be grateful!”

“Gracie, my Labradoodle and best friend, was rescued at one year old from a shelter in Illinois after my spouse passed away. Little did I know after moving to Colorado that I would be in a pickle with finances.

The loneliness is sometimes difficult especially this year with COVID, but she is always there, so excited to see me when I get home and sleeps on my husband’s side of the bed. It is worth every bit of pickiness in food that she gives me. Some of the food I get would be totally unaffordable for me. She is my love even though she is a princess and likes to be spoon fed sometimes! Thank you for all that you do and for keeping Gracie happy and fed well.” stock photo used here

“Colorado Pet Pantry and Cindy (from the Emergency Pet Food Assistance Team), our guardian angel, have been wonderful. She reached out to us in critical moments for our family when we weren’t able to afford our pets’ food. Our pets gave our children companionship and emotional support. Like a blessing, Cindy found us and she’s never let us go. She is always reaching out to us, delivering when we had no vehicle, getting our pets updated on their shots, and getting our pets spayed and neutered at no cost through pet mobile. We are blessed. Thank you for all you’ve provided.”

“We adopted the white one [dog] during COVID, not knowing my husband would lose his job and my business would have to shut temporarily. Colorado Pet Pantry has helped by not taking away from our food budget. It was also nice to be able to vaccinate an overdue dog with the help of the voucher. We will also be neutering the pup on Tuesday. We are thankful that CPP has helped us in so many ways. I can’t wait for the time to give back by volunteering to help this great group.”

“While COVID came, we had hardships, but you helped feed them!”

“I’m a single mom on unemployment because of COVID, and finances are really tight. Being able to get dog food from Colorado Pet Pantry has provided some much-needed relief. Thank you so much!”

“You all have been a blessing to us, including our little Bell. She’s looking forward to supper just like us and trying to stay home with COVID-19 running wild. Due to health conditions, things are short. She only has one tooth, and they give her food she can eat. I really feel they care. God bless everyone for helping us.”

“I was accepted into the program in March right as COVID was spreading across the US. With so many people being laid off and jobs becoming scarce, I was worried about how I would be able to provide for my cat Clover.

Colorado Pet Pantry has been a tremendous blessing to us by providing Clover with food and giving me security in knowing she’ll always be fed, even if I need to rely on community help.

CPP also has different cat food each time I go, so Clover never gets bored with her meals. I’m incredibly thankful for what CPP provides through their outreach program and that they’re able to not only help provide meals for Clover, but meals for other pets who may need a little extra assistance.”

“You saved BackUp, Prancer, and Pierre when my work hours were drastically cut due to COVID-19! Thank you so much!!”

“Money is tight because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but thanks to Colorado Pet Pantry I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to feed my sweet fur baby, Socks. Because he deserves nothing but the best ?”

“The Colorado Pet Pantry has helped me feed Milo and Salem while in between jobs during COVID-19 and being high risk. I will be forever thankful for CPP and all the wonderful people who help put this together. Thank you so much!”

“I’m a solitary senior with heart disease and fixed income that isn’t enough for Colorado. My pets give me critical emotional contact, even before the pandemic. Now I’m in permanent quarantine.

On my income, I can only feed my pets the cheapest food. Thanks to Colorado Pet Pantry, they eat wholesome food. They all have glossy coats and enjoy good health.”
stock photo used

“Your program helped our family a lot by providing food for our pets. Because of the pandemic, we are struggling financially, and we hardly have money to buy food for the family and our pets. We appreciate your kindness.”

Sweet image provided with no quote – but adorable pup!

Tune Up Your Fur-Fur-Furnace and Support Colorado Pet Pantry

Don’t go into Winter without knowing that your furnace is functioning correctly. Your family and pets will thank you. Once again, Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric is offering our friends a timely way to support the Colorado Pet Pantry pet food bank.

Schedule a furnace tune-up during September (a service valued at $199) for $99. One hundred percent of your furnace check fee will be made directly to Colorado Pet Pantry as a donation. Last year, so many families took advantage of this generous offer that we were able to feed 417 additional pets (twice as many as we raised in 2018! Woot!).

Download the coupon or call Applewood at 303-232-6611.
Thanks for your continued support.

Your friends at Colorado Pet Pantry

It’s the Dog Days of Summer and we are Barking Busy!

As we head into fall, we are feeling the full effect of the global pandemic. The need for assistance continues to grow as more and more people are missing paychecks. Many people will feed their pets before they feed themselves and we are here to tell them they do not need to do that. We have 62 monthly pet food banks all across the Front Range. We are open to the public and we are here for you, and your pets. To find a local food bank in your area, please check out our monthly schedule.

Colorado Pet Pantry client Carmen shares a photo of her beloved pet. Carmen says, “I want to thank the pet food bank for the dog food. It helps me because I am on a fixed income and cannot afford his food. He loves his food, thank you I appreciate it.”

As the need for pet food assistance grows, so does our need for volunteers. Volunteering with Colorado Pet Pantry is one of the most fulfilling and beneficial things you can do to help the animals in your community, and it’s worth mentioning it’s a blast! We have the best crew of volunteers around.

Coming up in the next month we need help at the following dates and locations:
SIGN UP HERE: https://signup.com/Group/27197926080

  • Friday, August 21st with City of Denver Mobile Pet Food Bank
    This event is separated into two shifts (9:15AM-12:30PM & 12PM-2:30PM). We need help for both shifts.
  • Friday, August 28th with City of Denver Mobile Pet Food Bank
    This event is separated into two shifts (9:15AM-12:30PM & 12PM-2:30PM). We need help for both shifts.
  • Friday, August 28th in Loveland. Our monthly pet food bank at Food Bank for Larimer County runs from 10:15AM – 1:30PM.
  • Monday, August 31st in Alamosa. This pet food bank at La Puente’s Food Bank needs volunteers from 11:30AM – 2:30PM.
  • Wednesday, Sept 2nd in Conifer. This monthly pet food bank with Mountain Resource Center needs volunteers from 12:15PM – 3:30PM.
  • Thursday, Sept 3rd in Denver. This monthly pet food bank at Bienvenidos Food Bank needs volunteers from 9:30AM – 11:30AM.
  • Friday, Sept 4th with City of Denver Mobile Pet Food Bank
    This event is separated into two shifts (9:15AM-12:30PM & 12PM-2:30PM).
  • Wednesday, Sept 9th in Denver. This monthly pet food bank at Denver Inner City Parish (DICP) needs volunteers from 9AM – 11AM.
  • Friday, September 11th with City of Denver Mobile Pet Food Bank
    This event is separated into two shifts (9:15AM-12:30PM & 12PM-2:30PM).

Thank you for considering volunteering with our organization. We guarantee you will have a wonderful time, we look forward to meeting you, and our clients are grateful for your service.