News Archives - Colorado Pet Pantry

Food Bank partners with Colorado Pet Pantry in Loveland…

BY SHELLEY W IDHALM FOR THE REPORTER-HERALD

Thank you to Shelley Idhalm for this great article covering our pet food bank in Loveland. Link to full article at the end of the post.

The fourth Saturday of the month, the Food Bank for Larimer County places importance on cats and dogs.

Colorado Pet Pantry sets up a tent for two hours outside the Loveland Food Share building, 2600 N. Lincoln Ave., to hand out pet food and supplies to clients of the food bank and others needing the help.

“Our goals are definitely aligned… Whether you’re talking about food for families or food for pets, we want to make it easier for families to manage day to day,” said Paul Donnelly, communications director for the Food Bank for Larimer County, which has food pantries in Loveland and Fort Collins. “We don’t want people making a choice between getting food or medicine.”

In February, the Food Bank for Larimer County partnered with Colorado Pet Pantry, and since then, the pet pantry has served an average of 85 to 95 families per month. As of June, 360 families signed up for services for 875 pets, including 499 dogs and 376 cats.

“Everybody has leftover food from their animals for whatever reason. We want to stop that food from going into the landfills,” said Eileen Lambert, Executive Director of the Colorado Pet Pantry.

We Are Growing!

Our first pet food bank was six years ago on June 6, 2013! So much has changed, but our goals remain the same. In 2018, Colorado Pet Pantry volunteers helped families-in-need feed 2.3 million meals (376,651 lbs) to 38,997 pets in the Denver/Boulder-metro area, Colorado Springs, Conifer, Ordway, and other parts of the state.

Just recently we added pet food banks at La Puentes Food Bank in Alamosa, Aurora Interfaith Community Services Food Bank in Aurora, Sangre De Cristos Volunteers for Community in Colorado City, The Action Center in Lakewood, and Lynn Gardens Baptist Church Food Bank in Pueblo. We are working hard to service all those-in-need throughout the State of Colorado, but we need your help.

Learn how you can help. As of right now, we need help at ALL of our pet food banks. For a calendar view of our upcoming volunteer opportunities, visit the calendar on our website. If you would like to volunteer at a food bank or warehouse workday, visit sign up, select the type of volunteer activity you would like, then select the date you would like to volunteer.

Email eileen@coloradopetpantry.org with any questions.

Sharing Food and Supplies Hurts So Good

By Amy Hempe, Colorado Pet Pantry volunteer

There really is such a thing as giving until it hurts (our muscles at least!).

Not that that’s a bad thing.

We are thrilled to have two incredibly generous donations this month: from UNFI and Animal Supply Company. In all, we had 40 pallets of pet food – that comes to 60,000 pounds of kibble.

Despite having sizable warehouse space and volunteers who have done some serious organizing in there, we knew that we would not be able to store all of that kibble and use it quickly enough. The donations were simply that massive.

However, we do not like to turn food away, and we knew that others might be able to take a large chunk of it. We sent the word out to our Animal Welfare Share Program partners in the area and told them that on Wednesday, May 9, we would be at the warehouse all day if they wanted to come by and grab a pallet or two. Our forklift and muscles were ready.

Some of the early arrivals included Soul Rescue and Circle 2 Rescue, both of whom arrived with their large vans. Eileen operated the forklift while volunteers Amanda, Shanna, Sarah, Amy, and Ernie loaded individual bags. The rescue vehicles were packed to the absolute (legally allowable) brim, ensuring that rescue dogs and cats they serve would be well fed.

We also happily loaded up the trucks for Happy Haven Farm & Sanctuary, Metro Denver CAT, Moms and Mutts, Team Leo, Retriever Rescue of Colorado, Forgotten Felines Rescue, Colorado Animal Care Foundation, Sugar Dogs, Arlene’s Angels, Ho-Bo Care Boxer Rescue, Duncan’s Place, Colorado Pet Food Bank (a separate organization that serves the Eastern Plains), Front Range German Shepherd Rescue, OutPaws, Hope For Animals, Steel City Alley Cats Coalition, and Cooper’s Companions. We carried hundreds of bags, loading trucks, vans, and cars past sunset. The warehouse was toasty and we might have all smelled like pet food at the end. We got dirty and sweaty, and our arms felt like limp rubber bands by the end of the day. And it was all completely worth it.

This is a huge part of what makes our mission at Colorado Pet Pantry so rewarding. When we can work with other rescues to help them accomplish their missions, then we know that we are spreading the love. We all want to help dogs and cats in need, whether they are living with families already and just need a little help with getting food, or they are in foster care awaiting their forever homes. We all share the belief that pets are family.

The Colorado Pet Pantry definitely hit the jackpot with those fabulous donations. And the best thing about that was we could share this with others.

Dogs and cats are getting fed, and we got our workout. It was a pretty great day.

Huge thanks to UNFI and Animal Supply Company, and all of our volunteers who make this work possible. Many thanks as well to Cheryl at MaxFund who has mastered the art of connection and helped us to secure these donations.

We Need You!

Want to volunteer with us at a pet food bank or event? Or email us if you would like to help in the warehouse or with administrative work.

Colorado Pet Pantry Featured on CBS Denver – Watch Now

We are honored to be featured on CBS Denver with Britt Moreno this weekend. The more people who know about us, the more pets we can help feed and keep with their families during tough financial times. The holidays are hard for many families, and if we can relieve one source of stress, we can give HOPE.

In 2017, we surpassed our original goal of feeding 11,000 dogs and cats, and instead, fed 13,333 pets for a full month! Our goal is to feed 16,000 pets in 2018, but we’ll try for as many as we can. The sky’s the limit when we have the right balance of pet food, funds, and volunteers. Please share this video with others on Facebook or Twitter and help us spread the word about the Colorado Pet Pantry!

Watch the CBS Denver video

Keeping Lucien at Home

Lucien and her family walked into the Dumb Friends League with tears in their eyes and said they needed to surrender their beloved dog. The staff member at DFL quickly realized it all came down to food. Lucien’s family was going through hard times. They had a few pets, and she was the one that needed the most food. Without money to buy pet food, let alone human food, the family decided they needed to bring her to the shelter so that another family could love her.

But Lucien already had a loving family.

The staff member at DFL handed Lucien’s family a Colorado Pet Pantry flyer, and there was a pet food bank the very next day. The family had never heard of the pet food bank, but it was the answer that solved their most heart-breaking problem.

They could now keep their family together.

Donate for Colorado Gives Day: www.coloradogives.org/pet

Animal Welfare Share Program write-up by Dumb Friends League

By Dumb Friends League

Many animal welfare organizations receive donations of pet supplies they don’t need, and yet they must purchase items that other organizations may have in surplus. To help “spread the wealth” among these organizations, the Colorado Pet Pantry, in partnership with the Dumb Friends League, launched the Animal Welfare Share Program this spring.

The goal of the Animal Welfare Share Program is to help participating rescues and shelters save money on crucial supplies while increasing efficiency in the use of items donated by the community.

This partnership creates a centralized location for shelters in the Denver metro area to share donated resources like pet food, medical supplies (excluding prescription drugs), collars, leashes, pet beds, crates, and other pet-related items. Participating rescues and shelters can pick up items they need and drop off surplus items for other rescues to utilize.

Colorado Expression Magazine Writes about the Colorado Pet Pantry

By award-winning writer, and President of the Dog Writers Association of America, Jen Reeder, published in Colorado Expression Magazine!

A FEW YEARS AGO, Anthony Valle’s career was booming. With a doctorate in business administration and years of experience as a successful senior project manager for numerous Fortune 500 companies, his skills were in demand. So when he was offered a lucrative contract to work in Denver, he drove from New York with his wife, young daughters and their beloved dogs to the Centennial State.

But fortune can be fickle. A week after arriving, Valle found himself unemployed due to legal wrangling between his employer and another company. Suddenly job offers dried up; aside from managing one major fiber-optic project, he hasn’t found work in his field for two years. Instead, he maintains a low-income job to help keep his family afloat until something more promising pans out. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Valle said. “We went from having a beautiful home to living in a hotel. It’s been a really hard road.”

The Valles have stayed close throughout their hardships—both with one another and with their dog, Cleo. The American Staffordshire Terrier is a registered emotional support dog who loves to snuggle, take walks and sleep in bed with Valle’s daughters every night. But due to allergies, Cleo needs special dog food, which became increasingly challenging to provide. “It would have been extremely devastating to every one of us if we would have had to give up Cleo because we couldn’t afford to take care of her,” Valle said.

Fortunately, the Colorado Pet Pantry stepped in. The nonprofit, founded in 2013, helps keeps pets in the families that love them by providing dog and cat food to people in need. The pet food bank “brought us peace of mind,” Valle said. “We’re sure that Cleo’s going to be healthy and taken care of.”

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Opening our 6th Pet Food Bank Location – Boulder

On Dec 13, 2016 we opened our sixth month “open to the public” pet food bank location in Boulder with our partner Harvest of Hope food bank. We also have 10 mini pet food banks where we help a target population such as the residents of low-income facilities for people with disabilities or the elderly, and organizations whose mission is to reduce the number of homeless pets. See our partner list.

Feeding Hungry Pets – New Video

A Client’s Story

“We live month-to-month but normally everything works out somehow. This month there was just no way for us to make rent and buy dog food (which has to be one of the worst feelings in the world)! They are our family and we love them like family. I just don’t even know what we would have done without you guys and can’t thank you enough! I hope you know how important the work you do is!”

Your Furnace Tune-up Helps Feed 25 Pets for a Month!

Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric is again partnering with Colorado Pet Pantry for their “Furnace Checks for Charity” program. The program was a big success last year (feeding more than 250 pets for a month!), so we hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity and support Colorado Pet Pantry in 2016.

In preparation for the chilly winter months, Applewood is offering a 14-point furnace tune-up at a special rate of $99, a service valued at $181.67. Instead of writing a check to Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric, however, 100% of your furnace check fee will be made directly to Colorado Pet Pantry.

This donation is tax deductible and the perfect way to support our efforts. Colorado Pet Pantry provides pet food to families to ensure pets are well taken care of and remain in a loving home. More than 5,700 pets were helped last year.

Book your furnace check with Applewood between September 1-30 to help support Colorado Pet Pantry! Call 303-232-6611.

Download the Flyer

Our Holiday Wish List

There are so many ways that you can help the Colorado Pet Pantry, from volunteering to donating. If you’re looking for ways to make a huge difference to specific areas of the pet food bank, here’s what we need:

Help Us to Buy a Van

We’ve rented and borrowed our share of vans, large trucks, and magic carpets to move more than 50,000 lbs of pet food this year. With five monthly pet food banks on the calendar, and more coming, we need to invest in a reliable van to help transport the growing amount of pet food we distribute each year. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to buy and maintain the van. This crowdfunding page is part of the LoveAnimals and Animal Assistance Foundation #ColoradoLovesPets Holiday Giving Challenge and every donation helps us to win up to $20,000 in prizes. Donate to this special fund. (Want to donate a van? Email us!)

Help Us Keep Our Warehouse

We share our amazing warehouse with 10 human food banks. Together we are the Food Exchange Resource Network (FERN) and we’ve helped more than 50,000 people (and their pets) in seven counties. Staying together affords us tremendous cost-savings especially in this very expensive time for warehouse real estate. But the warehouse needs work and we need to raise $35,000 to get this done. An investment in this fund will allow all of the food banks, including the pet pantry, to stay in this warehouse space at about 1/15th (!) of the market rate. Donate to this special fund.

Fund a New Pet Food Bank

It costs about $3840 to fund a new pet food bank location for a year which will serve about 960 pets! This special fund will be used specifically to open a new location as soon as possible. This crowdfunding page is part of the LoveAnimals and Animal Assistance Foundation #ColoradoLovesPets Holiday Giving Challenge and every donation helps us to win up to $20,000 in prizes. Donate to this special fund.

Kick Start your Colorado Gives Day Donations on #GivingTuesday

It’s #GivingTuesday, the post-Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday day devoted to investing in nonprofits that are improving our world.

Please consider the Colorado Pet Pantry as you’re making your #GivingTuesday donations. Currently we are holding five pet food banks each month in the Denver/Boulder-metro area and will soon be adding more as donations, volunteers, and pet food resources allow.

Every dollar donated is worth $5 in pet food.

To support the pet food bank, please “Schedule” a donation for Colorado Gives Day, which will officially be held on December 8. But there’s no need to wait! Simply select “CO GIVES DAY” under Donation Type when making your donation.

WHY SCHEDULE YOUR DONATION?

Because all donations that are scheduled for or made on December 8 will be partially matched. (And because you’re thinking about it now!)

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD

RSVP for or Share the “Colorado Gives Day” Event on Facebook. This will GREATLY help us to reach more people.

Get your Furnace Inspected for Winter and Support Colorado Pet Pantry

Applewood Plumbing, Heating and Electric is offering all of our supporters (and anyone you forward this email to) an opportunity to donate $99 to the Colorado Pet Pantry and you’ll get a free furnace inspection just in time for winter to start shaking off the cobwebs. If you call Applewood at 303.232.6611 before Sept. 30 and schedule an appointment in the next few weeks, your donation will help 25 pets have food for a month! Below is the information. Thanks so much for your ongoing support.

Colorado Pet Food Bank Re-Distributes Pet Food Donation Worth $130,000

20 Rescue and Pet Food Bank Organizations are Receiving Pallets of Pet Food Valued at $5,280 each

Redbarn Pet Products, a manufacturer of premium food, treats and chews for dogs and cats, has arranged for a donation of 33,792 cans of dog food and 38,808 cans of cat food to be donated to nonprofit animal organizations across Colorado. Denver/Boulder pet food bank, Colorado Pet Pantry, spearheaded the logistical coordination and outreach for the rescue groups that span from Crawford, Evergreen, Monument, Alamosa, Ft. Collins, and all over Denver/Boulder. Sharing the donation among the different rescues and pet food banks was a necessity as Colorado Pet Pantry Executive Director Eileen Lambert explained, “We simply don’t have the warehouse space for 22 pallets of pet food and this food can be put to immediate use through the many wonderful animal rescues and pet food banks located throughout the state.” The cans of food, normally retailing for over $130,000, are being delivered to the mile-high city on Friday, July 10th. The food will then be allocated to the 22 partner organizations located across the state.

According to Colorado Pet Pantry’s calculations, this food could feed 563 dogs and 826 cats twice a day for a month. Redbarn co-owner Jeff Baikie remarked, “Redbarn was founded on the principle of creating better, more nutritious food for every dog. We understand when times are tough, it can be very difficult on a family with pets and for that reason we are honored to support Colorado Pet Pantry food bank, their rescue partners and their common goal of ensuring all families in a neighborhood have the resources to consistently feed their pets, keeping them out of shelters. It’s our hope that with a donation of this size, we will enable these rescues to help save more animals.” According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.9 million dogs and 3.4 million cats enter animal shelters every year.

See photos from the donation event generously donated by DelaFoto.

About Redbarn Pet Products, LLC
In 1996, CEO’s (and lifelong friends) Jeff Baikie and Howard Bloxam recognized the need for a wholesome dog food that was developed, produced and sold with integrity, honesty and only top quality ingredients. They developed the signature Redbarn Rolled Food, an enhanced food with over 93% digestibility. Soon, they began manufacturing premium, grass-fed bully sticks and other natural chews. In 2013, responding to customer’s demands, Jeff and Howard created the grain-free Redbarn for Cats line. Redbarn strives to provide products and information to help our customers in making educated, nutritious decisions for their pets.

About Colorado Pet Pantry
The Colorado Pet Pantry pet food bank operates as a mobile pet food bank at “human” food bank partners. During 2015, the pet food bank plans to grow to six monthly pet food banks in the Denver/Boulder-metro areas. In 2014, their volunteers gave 1,100+ hours to distribute 30,553 pounds of pet food, helping 1,500 families in the Denver/Boulder-metro area to feed 3,296 pets.