We go through thousands of pounds of kibble each month at our pet food banks. Our need is on-going and great. If you have the means to donate pet food from our wishlist, we would be very grateful!
Our biggest need right now is Adult Dog Kibble ~ Thank you!
The amazing thing about Colorado Gives Day, is that you can amplify your gift with partial and full donation matches. This day embodies the power of community giving. When we work together, and a lot of people pitch in, we can do amazing things.
Please help us make the most of this moment in time by starting a fundraiser on ColoradoGives.org for Colorado Pet Pantry. This year, we have an ambitious goal of raising $100,000 to help feed more pets in 2024. If you would like to help us reach this goal, we urge you to take this easy-to-use fundraising platform and put it to good use.
Here are the steps to create your fundraiser on our page:
Together we can make a difference in the lives of pets this season. Thank you for being an active part of our Colorado Pet Pantry community.
Robert and Kloe are “two peas in a pod.” They’re never apart. Kloe is Robert’s Service Companion and “his best friend, his lifeline.”
Robert had a stroke at the young age of 23, which caused partial paralysis, amongst other health issues. He has lived in nursing homes and been involved in treatment facilities since his stroke, 25 years ago. A few years ago, his social worker and case manager at one of his homes set him up with Volunteers of America (VOA).
Living in a VOA apartment complex gives him the opportunity to live self-sufficiently, and the ability to have a service companion, Kloe.
VOA is one of Colorado Pet Pantry’s Mini Pet Food Banks. These are organizations or remote locations that receive pet food from us to distribute directly to their clients. This is how Robert receives pet food to help feed Kloe. He receives very limited Social Security benefits, and for the most part, dog food is not in his budget.
He is extremely grateful to Colorado Pet Pantry for the donations that Kloe and the other pets at VOA receive. “If I didn’t receive pet food from you guys, Kloe would be eating table scraps, like she used to eat,” Robert shares. Colorado Pet Pantry currently serves 74 Mini Pet Food Banks across Colorado.
We partner with organizations that support low-income families, elderly, homeless, people with disabilities and other groups in-need, to help reach clients and regions we may not otherwise have the resources to access with our monthly pet food banks. In addition to VOA, other organizations we work with include Mercy Housing, Nourish Meals On Wheels, Salvation Army, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, and various Animal Welfare Organizations.
We have several pet food banks coming up in December and January, that have been moved from their regularly scheduled dates. Below is a list of pet food banks that have been rescheduled. We will update this list with any changes that may occur. If your pet food bank is NOT on this list, please assume it will take place on its regularly scheduled date.
January:
A huge thank you to Kathy Sabine at 9News for interviewing Colorado Pet Pantry Founder and Executive Director, Eileen Lambert, about the current challenges facing Colorado Pet Pantry and pet owners across the state.
Here is a list of actions you can take to help support our organization as we strive to assist pet owners across the state with their pet food needs.
Lisa adopted sweet Velcro as a kitten. Dirty and alone, she took Velcro in and it was love at first sight. “She’s my joy to celebrate successes, and the door greeter welcoming any and all guests. Every day I thank the Universe for bringing her into my life.”
As Velcro grew up, Lisa learned her little body required a special, very expensive, prescription food to stay healthy. Due to the amazing donations by our generous pet food donors, Colorado Pet Pantry typically has this type of food on-hand. “It is very expensive but necessary to prevent her from getting sick. I can’t thank Colorado Pet Pantry enough for providing this cat food in a time when affording rent has become very overwhelming. Basic necessities are a struggle, and I am honestly not sure what I would have done to provide Velcro with her prescription food.”
Colorado Pet Pantry is a supplemental pet food assistance program. Offering pet food to our clients every other month enables us to lift a huge financial burden that furry friends can have on a monthly budget.
In 2022, Colorado Pet Pantry provided almost seven million meals to families across Colorado. It is our honor to be able to offer this service to so many community members.
Thank you to all who responded to our need for Adult Dog Food. We truly appreciate the donations you have sent. We go through thousands of pounds of kibble each month at our pet food banks. Our need is on-going and great. If you have the means to donate pet food – an extra bag in your pantry, or anything from our wishlist, we would be very grateful! There are several different ways to donate.
If you are not able to donate right now, THAT IS OK! You can still help us by spreading the word about our need. It takes a village.
We are excited to announce that we raised $68,000 after expenses at this event! This will allow Colorado Pet Pantry to feed 13,600 dogs and cats throughout Colorado for a full month (it costs $5 to feed a pet for a month), helping their humans to get back on their feet and keep their families together. You have made 2023 a wonderful year for so many people and pets — we deeply appreciate you.
Did you take any great photos of the event? We would LOVE to see them! Please email them to info@coloradopetpantry.org or text them to 720-893-1139.
“Sometimes the most overlooked family members during any divorce can be people’s pets.”
In April 2022, Dawn and her family had 2 dogs, 2 cats, 3 goats and 28 chickens. Due to financial stress from a divorce, Dawn could no longer afford to care for all of her animals. She had to make the heartbreaking decision to re-home her goats, chickens and one of her house cats. Dawn learned about Colorado Pet Pantry’s SECOR pet food bank in Parker, Colorado, in August of 2022. With the help of our pet food assistance program, Dawn and her son, Levi, have been able to keep and care for their cat, Brave, and their retired livestock guardian dogs, Zeke and Kalos.
“My son and I are both thrilled that we have been able to continue to love and enjoy our remaining animals. They are thriving on the generous donations from Colorado Pet Pantry. I’m so grateful for every bag and can of food that the Pet Pantry has provided. Though we are uncertain of the future, we are grateful to be able to do life with our furry family members. Kalos alerts me when my blood sugar is low, and, Zeke and Brave can tell when we need a bit of comfort. I’m grateful that with the help of Colorado Pet Pantry, I’ve been able to keep my dogs and my sweet cat Brave, after losing my goats.”
Pets need every chance possible to stay in their forever homes with the humans who love them. Our goal at Colorado Pet Pantry, is to keep pets with their families. With the help of our supporters, we provide supplemental pet food assistance to cover the gap when housing costs, inflation, medical expenses, vet care, job loss, underemployment, or divorce, chip away at the resources people need to feed their pets.
Congratulations to our outstanding volunteer, Krystal Parish, for receiving the July 2023 Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award for her dedication and energy that she brings to Colorado Pet Pantry. This award celebrates volunteers in our community who make a difference, and recipients receive a $2,000 grant, to donate to the nonprofit of their choice. Thanks to Krystal and MYCVA, this grant will provide 400 dogs and cats with a 30-day supply of pet food.
Krystal has been a volunteer with Colorado Pet Pantry for over six years, and during this time, she has contributed significantly to our organization. Not only does she help fill “normal” CPP needs, like helping to distribute pet food at monthly pet food banks and transporting pet food, she regularly goes above and beyond to seek out fundraising opportunities and other ways to help the organization grow and continue to meet the rising need in the community.
Krystal is the main driving force behind our auction fundraisers and has contributed in making them very successful. She solicits and secures a large portion of the donated items that we put in our auctions and donates endless hours toward organizing and creating packages and gift baskets. She even works side gigs, like guest bartending at events and helping to bottle bourbon at a local distillery, in exchange for auctions items. She has proposed and executed many new and innovative ways to help us raise funds to feed pets.
Krystal volunteers monthly at our pet food bank in Conifer, with Mountain Resource Center. She participates in outreach events, and hauls truckloads of pet food to our pet food banks. Krystal also runs a mini pet food bank at her place of work – IKEA. Thanks to Krystal, Denver IKEA employees have their own spot to grab pet food and supplies when times are tight. She also creates and runs workplace fundraisers, like recycling cans, giving IKEA employees an easy and free way to help raise funds for Colorado Pet Pantry.
Krystal is quick to respond to any needs that pop up. When the East Troublesome Wildfire occurred in Grand County in 2020, she ran the emergency response and distributed pet food and supplies to those who lost or were displaced from their homes.
At the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award ceremony at our warehouse in Englewood on July 5th, members of the MYCVA Committee, Colorado Pet Pantry team members, and Krystal’s family, celebrated Krystal and her hard work and dedication to Colorado Pet Pantry. MYCVA Committee members shared the history and significance of the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award and talked about Krystal’s contributions and dedication to Colorado Pet Pantry, and presented Krystal with the grant for $2,000 donated to Colorado Pet Pantry, a Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award Plaque, and a Proclamation from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s office.
To learn more about the Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer award, please visit https://www.sparkthechangecolorado.org/mycva.html.
Ten years ago today we held our first pet food bank on a sunny June 6th, in Northwest Denver at Bienvenidos Food Bank. This adventure started as an experiment. I knew I had stuff in my cupboard that my pups didn’t need, and I figured most pet families did as well. The idea was to collect all of the pet food that people didn’t need or want, and get it to those who would use it. The original plan was not to expand past Denver. In fact, Denver Pet Pantry was one of the original names we considered. But then, in a moment of wishful premonition, we decided to call the organization Colorado Pet Pantry, just in case we stretched outside of Denver.
It was a slow go at first. We needed to learn everything from scratch. Was there a need? Where would we find enough pet food to serve the people coming to our pet food bank? Where would we store the pet food before it was distributed? How would we get the pet food from the donation collection locations to (what would become) our warehouse? How would we find volunteers? Would people donate to the cause? Would human food banks want to partner with us and offer this service to their clients? Would there be an ability for us to not only help people in need, but also other animal welfare organizations? And last but not least, is it ever possible to get the pet food smell out of a vehicle when bags of kibble have filled every crevice of it for the past 10 years? I can answer that one quickly, no.
The answers to all of the questions above are the kindness of people, generosity of partners, dedication of a team, and a really good vacuum.
We have learned so much over the last 10 years. We learned that the key to making change is to ask others to help and join in the effort. Colorado Pet Pantry doesn’t do anything alone. Everything we do requires multiple people, organizations, and brands. This is the group project that actually worked out, because Colorado is so dedicated to its pets.
Every year people ask me where I envision Colorado Pet Pantry going next. That’s such a hard question. Life is full of twists and turns… the economy, a global pandemic, inflation, supply chain bottlenecks; there are so many things that affect people and business livelihoods, which in turn affect our capacity to help.
The vision is that all pets in Colorado have the food they need, and families have the ability to keep their pets through thick and thin. But the reality is the Colorado Pet Pantry grows as more people and partners learn about this easy way to keep pets with their families. Our goal is to give pet families relief. That relief means we must make decisions, cautiously and carefully. As we gain more volunteers, acquire more pet food, and raise more funds, we are able to grow and help more pets.
What is truly remarkable, is how people will step up, and life‘s twists and turns become opportunities to help communities. In turn we all get to see and feel the benefits. In another 10 years, I expect you’ll see many more people being assisted by Colorado Pet Pantry. You will see more partners joining the effort to keep pets with their families. And you will see our organization in every part of the state where need exists.
I’ve always looked at what Colorado Pet Pantry does as a solvable problem. We don’t need to produce more food, or pet supplies, to help people get what they need. What we need to do is figure out how to get all of these items from the people and businesses who don’t need them, to the people who do need them.
After 10 years, we now have 102 monthly pet food banks throughout the state of Colorado (click here for a map of all our open-to-the-public pet food banks). In 2013, I would have never imagined that’s what our future held. But now, I see a future where other states have statewide pet food banks, and Colorado Pet Pantry helps to mentor that process. Where volunteers know that in just a few hours each month, they can make a real difference in the lives of pets and people in their communities. That anyone with a little extra pet food in their cupboard can know that donating that bag might make the difference of someone being able to keep their pet, versus relinquishing it to a shelter. That donors know it takes just a few dollars to make a huge difference in the lives of pet guardians in their neighborhoods.
Watching the volunteers and staff at Colorado Pet Pantry, I can tell you that everyone works hard to make this organization run smoothly, so people can get the help they need, when they need it.
But what we’re doing is not difficult per sé, and after 10 years, I can truly say that the reason we thrive is because of our team. This team includes you, someone who loves and values pets AND humans alike. In another 10 years, I believe the love will continue to grow, spread, and fill those bellies with good food and an occasional tasty little treat.
Thank you for supporting us over this incredible decade. Decade number two starts today, we’re so grateful that you’re here with us.
Sincerely,
Eileen Lambert
Founder & Executive Director
Read more about our 10 Year Anniversary here.
“All I want for 2023 is to stay with my family.”
The statistics are in for last year and they are impressive. Thanks to our amazing volunteers, donors, and community supporters, we have been able to make real change in Colorado.
In the last year we…
Distributed a 30-day supply of pet food to 115,482 dogs and cats across Colorado.
Fed 1,307,876 pounds of dry food to pets.
Distributed 213,860 cans of wet food to dogs and cats.
We enabled 35,889 families to greatly reduce their monthly pet food bill, enabling them to keep their pets at home with them and out of the overcrowded shelters.
We distributed 6.93 Million meals to pets across the state.
This sounds like a job well done, and there is no way we could have filled this need without those who surround us and make it all possible.
So thank YOU.
When times are hard for humans, they’re inevitably hard for pets. Right now is one of those times. With inflation soaring and bonus SNAP benefits having ended in February, food banks across the country are seeing a huge uptick in need. At our pet food banks, we have seen at least a 15% increase in new clients across the state, and even more than that in some locations.
With pet food being so expensive, local shelters and rescues are seeing more relinquished pets than ever. This caught the eye and ear of local celebrity news anchor and recent adoptive pet parent, Kyle Clark. Kyle featured Colorado Pet Pantry as his Word of Thanks charity this week, May 10-16th, 2023.
By featuring Colorado Pet Pantry, Kyle was able to show many pet owners that there are resources available to those who have fallen on hard times, but do not want to lose their pets.
This is why we are here. With 28 open-to-the-public pet food banks across the state, we are able to take a $5 donation and turn it into a 30-day supply of pet food for a dog or cat.
So far, thanks to the Word of Thanks micro-giving campaign, we have received over $68,000 toward our $75,000 goal. If we reach $75,000, it will enable us to feed 15,000 dogs and cats across Colorado, and allow us to meet the rising need we are seeing at a time when it is so important to do so. We hope you will consider donating to this campaign to help us reach this goal.
Thank you Kyle Clark for featuring us as your Word of Thanks recipient for May 10th, 2023. Here is the original article that can be found on 9news.com:
Colorado Pet Pantry is a statewide resource that was founded in 2013 to help pets and their people.
Food banks love to add pet food from Colorado Pet Pantry because it’s one-stop shopping for families. All the pet food is donated. Then, the non-profit’s hundreds of volunteers and a few staff make sure it gets distributed across the state.
The pantry says it donated close to 7 million meals last year, which fed 115,000 dogs and cats. The demand has gone up every year since the non-profit got its start.
They’re noticing increased need lately because of inflation, and with food stamp benefits being cut in February.
That’s why our micro-giving campaign, Word of Thanks, is supporting Colorado Pet Pantry this week.
Their largest pet food banks are in rural Colorado, where shelters are full and the need is great. It’s more expensive to transport the food there, but Colorado Pet Pantry is determined to reach every corner of the state.
With our help, they can do that. Like every week since Kyle started Word of Thanks, we’re asking you to consider a $5 donation. He’ll match the first fifty of those, and Colorado Pet Pantry says they can feed a dog or a cat for a month on five bucks.
That $5 could be the difference between a family being able to keep a pet at home or having to give them up.
Word of Thanks began in 2020, and this Next community has donated $10.7 million to non-profits across the state doing great work.
As always, thank you!
If you’re interested in giving, you can donate here.
Starting March 1st, 2023, Coloradans, and people throughout the nation, participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) saw their monthly amounts drop drastically as the Emergency Allotments for the SNAP program (Food Stamps) that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end February 28, 2023. On an individual basis, the end of emergency allotments will mean an average loss of $82 in food stamps per person every month, according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates.
The Emergency Allotments began in March 2020 to help people who lost their jobs, were underemployed, were financially strained due to medical costs, etc. due to COVID-19. After three years, the decision was made to end the Emergency Allotments. Additionally, this is happening at a time when grocery prices are already much higher than normal. This change will affect the human food that is accessible to people, leaving even less money for pet food and pet costs.
That’s where we come in.
Colorado Pet Pantry saw a drastic increase in the amount of people needing pet food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three years later the need has only continued to increase, while donations have recently begun to decrease due to our donors’ economic concerns. We’re already seeing even more people needing help with pet food because more of their sparse funds are needed to feed the human family members.
Colorado Pet Pantry works side by side with human food banks to help make sure the human food goes to the humans and the pet food goes to the pets. “I will feed my pets before I eat…” is a common phrase heard at our organization when those who need pet food reach out.
The human food banks that we partner with have already reported that their human food distributions increased by 30 to 50% in February 2023 alone. And our pet food banks in the past two months have greatly increased in the number of people seeking help. This began the month BEFORE the food stamps decreased. The concern is that this number will dramatically increase in months to come as people and families realize the full affect of the decreased food stamp allotment.
While food stamps cannot be used for pet food, this decrease in food stamps will affect a person’s or family’s overall ability to feed all the members of the family, including ones with paws. Colorado Pet Pantry anticipates that need will greatly increase, beginning NOW.
As pets make their way into our hearts and our homes, they become part of the family. Most of the clients we assist have had their pets for many years, then financial struggles took hold. Pet owners should not have to choose between keeping their pet or feeding their pet.
Monetary donations go a long way. Thanks to our pet food partnerships, we can take just $5 and give a pet a 30-day supply of pet food.
Volunteering is the backbone of our organization. If we do not have volunteers to run our pet food banks, pick up donations, or help in our warehouse, we do not exist. If you are able to volunteer, we would love to have you!
Sharing about us online helps spread the word about what we are doing and grows our organization. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up to date with what is happening at Colorado Pet Pantry.
We send out monthly newsletters, if you would like to be a part of our email list, please sign up here.
Denver, CO, February 10 – On February 14, 2023, Kroenke Sports Charities will make a donation of $25,000 which will provide 300,000 pet food meals to clients of the statewide nonprofit pet food bank organization Colorado Pet Pantry. This grant will feed 4,000 pets for 30 days, helping people to avoid relinquishing their pets when financial challenges arise.
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, Avalanche Mascot Bernie will make a special appearance at the Colorado Pet Pantry’s pet food bank in the Swansea neighborhood of Denver on February 14, 2023 from 1:30-2:30pm. Bernie will help distribute pet food to people coming to get assistance from Colorado Pet Pantry.
PetSmart is joining the effort by also contributing pet food and dog toys which Bernie and Colorado Pet Pantry volunteers will distribute at this pet food bank.
The pet food bank is held by Colorado Pet Pantry in partnership with We Don’t Waste and WeeCycle, which will hold a mobile human food bank and diaper bank at the same time. Colorado Pet Pantry holds most of its pet food banks in conjunction with a partner’s human food bank.
Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Where: Focus Points Family Resource Center, 2501 E 48th Ave, Denver, CO 80216
In January 2023, at its monthly Swansea pet food bank, the Colorado Pet Pantry served 376 pets and 150 families a total of 4,000 lbs of pet food and 800 cans of food so that families in-need were able to keep their pets with their loving families. On February 14, the expectation is that the nonprofit organization will serve the same or more families. The need has been steadily growing at pet food banks throughout Colorado, and especially in high need areas such as the Swansea neighborhood of Denver, due to inflation, cost of housing, and now, the looming February 28 expiration of COVID-19 SNAP emergency allotments (food stamp) benefits, which will drastically eat into a person or family’s resources for acquiring human food. While pet food cannot be purchased with food stamps, the change in SNAP benefits will reduce a person’s ability to get human food, leaving less financial resources for feeding pets, further increasing the need for pet food banks such as Colorado Pet Pantry.
The Kroenke Sports Charities (KSC) grant to Colorado Pet Pantry was made in honor of the Colorado Avalanche’s 27th season, during which KSC made generous donations to 27 Colorado nonprofits. More info on the recipients is available here: https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/kroenke-sports-charities-ksc-and-avs-to-celebrate-watch-party-grants/c-340441124
For more information about the Colorado Pet Pantry and/or this event, please contact Eileen Lambert, 720-441-3111, eileen@coloradopetpantry.org.
About Colorado Pet Pantry
The Colorado Pet Pantry temporarily feeds Colorado pets, allowing families to increase their ability to care for pets with the goal of keeping them out of shelters and with their families. In the past 12 months, the Colorado Pet Pantry has served 6.9 million meals to hungry pets. The organization has 103 monthly pet food banks throughout the state of Colorado. The Colorado Pet Pantry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Our EIN is 45-4210185. More info: www.coloradopetpantry.org
About Kroenke Sports Charities
Kroenke Sports Charities is committed to improving lives through the spirit and power of sports. We strive to serve our community through education, health and fitness initiatives, athletic programs, and direct aid, with the particular purpose of helping families, children, veterans, and the disabled. Kroenke Sports Charities provides relevant programs and support, directly and with other nonprofit organizations, to ultimately assist, encourage, and enrich the lives of those in need. https://www.ballarena.com/arena-information/kroenke-sports-charities/
