Stories Archives - Colorado Pet Pantry

Client Stories – Robert and Kloe

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.

Stories: Donny and Gabriel

Gabriel, an outgoing yet calm feline companion played a vital role in helping Donny navigate life’s most challenging hurdles with unwavering affection.

When a sudden medical crisis left them both without a home, Donny faced the heartbreaking prospect of parting ways with his beloved friend. Colorado Pet Pantry stepped in, offering a lifeline of support. Providing essential supplies and resources for Gabriel, they ensured this duo could remain together, family forever.

“The Colorado Pet Pantry has helped Gabriel and me by providing food, treats, toys, a cat condo, which he loves, and a litter box. If it were not for the pantry, I would have struggled.”
~ Donny

Your support can help individuals like Donny and pets like Gabriel stay united during times of crisis. Donate today to Colorado Pet Pantry and help us continue our mission of keeping families and their beloved pets together through life’s toughest challenges.

11 Years in the Making

What started in 2013 as a Denver-based small nonprofit, supplying pet food to 858 pets per year, has grown into a statewide organization, with over 100 locations, distributing food to over 150,000 pets a year.

Over the last 11 years, Colorado Pet Pantry experienced exponential growth. Donations and need grew hand-in-hand, allowing us to maximize our impact.

However, after the Covid shutdown took hold on pet food manufacturing plants, and large-scale emergency donations ceased, the world suddenly faced an extensive, long-term pet food shortage. See video here about how we handled the pet food shortage. Because of this, Colorado Pet Pantry had to switch gears and focus on stabilization, rather than growth. Now, after two years of established commitment to our communities, we are excited to announce that we have had the ability and opportunity to open a new pet food pantry location in Cortez, CO.

For several years, we have been serving the community of Southwest Colorado, helping people feed and keep their pets, including “open to the public” locations in Mancos, Dove Creek, and Bayfield, as well as “mini pet food pantries” in Durango, Pagosa Springs, and the Ute Mountain Reservation of Towoac.

We held our first Cortez monthly pet food pantry in partnership with Good Samaritan’s Food Pantry on May 31, 2024. The opening of the new location in partnership with Good Sam’s was done with financial support from the LOR Foundation.

After years of no expansion, Colorado Pet Pantry wanted to take the first opportunity to open a pantry in Cortez and help the many guests in this area who need assistance.

Thanks to support from a dedicated core group of volunteers, who travel the area to host the pet food pantries, we were able to assist about 54 families and 228 pets on our first day with about 2,000 pounds of pet food.

We were even surprised by a visit from our prior program manager Suzanne (pictured here with another volunteer) who helped develop the assistance program in this area, before passing the torch to our new Program Manager Kim, who joined our team in January. Kim is making significant strides to help more people and pets in the area.

Suzanne and Colorado Pet Pantry volunteer.

We will be at this location on the last Friday of every month from 12PM to 2PM. Clients are eligible to receive pet food once out of every three months. Our full calendar is here.

Client Spotlight: Meet Wilder Lee. Wilder was one of the rare kitties to visit us “in-purr-son”. He has a disease called Cerebral Hypoplasia. His mom had Feline Leukemia when he was in utero. This disease will likely mean he can never walk and will continue to be 100% dependent on his person for food, water, nurturing, and urination. See Wilder’s Video here.

Due to the high cost of raising a pet with special needs, his person was grateful to pick up pet food at the pantry to assist with keeping Wilder as healthy as possible.

Additional Services: Many guests at this pantry had questions about spay and neuter options in the area. We offer a resource guide with several options (download Southwest Colorado resource PDF), including a mobile spay/neuter service that will host a clinic in September called Bergen Spay Neuter. More info here.

Thank you to everyone who made this new location possible, and Happy 11 Year Birthday to Colorado Pet Pantry. We are very excited to help pet families in the town of Cortez, and to have the ability to add this new location.

To volunteer with us, please visit this link. Colorado Pet Pantry is always grateful and in need of donations to make this work possible. We are able to feed a dog or cat for a full 30 days with just a $5 donation.

Kroenke Sports Charities Supports Pet Families in Colorado

Whether it’s from a donation of pet food, volunteer time, live auction items for our fundraisers, or multiple grants to our organization, one thing is clear: Kroenke Sports Charities takes the livelihood of Colorado pet families seriously.

Over the years Kroenke Sports Charities has been overwhelmingly generous to Colorado Pet Pantry. Each year, they send Bernie, the Avalanche Mascot to one of our pet food pantries to help distribute pet food.

A delight to children and pets, Bernie graciously helps distribute thousands of pounds of kibble to local pet families, helping to keep their pets in their homes and out of shelters.

With the help of Kroenke Sports Charities, Colorado Pet Pantry has distributed over 35 million meals in the last 11 years.

Everything we do, we do with help, and Kroenke Sports Charities has consistently shown up for us, year after year, as a local leader in community support.

Join us in saying THANK YOU to Kroenke Sports Charities!

Client Stories: Tori and Kupka

Sweet Kupka is a 15 year old kitty from Boulder and his human, Tori, visits the EFAA Pet Food Bank. Like many older cats, Kupka requires a substantial amount of wet food in order to thrive. Tori is on Social Security and a very tight budget. She shares, “We are grateful that Colorado Pet Pantry is able to help us through the generosity of their supporters.”

In the last 12 months, Colorado Pet Pantry distributed over 309,000 cans of wet food across the entire state of Colorado. Through the generosity of its donors, Colorado Pet Pantry has been able to ensure many cats like Kupka get the nutrition they need in order to stay healthy and happy. If you would like to make a donation visit coloradopetpantry.org/donate today.

Volunteer Spotlight: Krystal Parish

We are excited to shine a spotlight on one of our remarkable volunteers who has been making a significant impact through her dedication and passion. Meet Krystal Parish!

Why Krystal Stands Out

Krystal has been working with Colorado Pet Pantry for seven years. Beyond her commitment to our mission, she is an avid traveler, skier, and devoted animal lover.

Krystal goes above and beyond by actively participating in our fundraising efforts, helping to staff community pet food banks, lead community outreach events, and transporting pet food donations from all over the state!

You can catch Krystal at Parry’s Pizza this Thursday, or out hitting the slopes in Winter Park. Be sure to check out her generously donated auction item, available for rent year-round!

Words of Appreciation

We’re incredibly grateful to have Krystal as part of our team! Her infectious positivity, sense of humor, and genuine passion for our cause light up our community.

Working with Krystal isn’t just fun and fulfilling—it amplifies our impact for animals in need. We appreciate her dedication and uplifting spirit, and we’d love for more folks to join us in making a difference together!

Join Krystal and others in making a difference by exploring volunteer opportunities on our website. Not able to volunteer? Consider making a donation. Thanks to our pet food partnerships, just a $5 donation can support one dog or cat with 30-days worth of pet food.

Purina Supports Colorado Pets through Ongoing Pet Food Donations

Since Colorado Pet Pantry began in 2013, Purina has donated almost 200,000 pounds of pet food and supplies to the program. This type of large-brand ongoing donation is what makes Colorado Pet Pantry’s work possible.

Thanks to Purina, we are able to plan ahead, strategize, and help as many pets as possible in Colorado with pet food assistance. Purina cares about their community and has stepped up in numerous situations with large-scale donations of dog and cat food.

Join us in saying THANK YOU to our amazing pet food donor, Purina. ❤️

Client Stories – Angela and Claire

“Claire is a hound who loves people!” Angela laughs, as she describes Claire’s antics. “She yodels at everyone she meets and loves to point at squirrels!” Claire lost her home when her former owner passed away and no provisions were made for her. Angela came to the rescue by taking Claire into her heart and her home.

“She always knows my moods and is extremely sensitive to when I need her. She is everything to me.” But, Angela laments, “With the economy today it is very expensive for dog food. Claire is a 100 pound Black Labrador/Pointer mix and she eats a lot!”

Angela adds, “Colorado Pet Pantry is a life saver! They supplement Claire’s food and save me money for other bills. Without Pet Pantry, I would be forced to feed Claire cheap dog food or even people food, which isn’t good for her.”

Colorado Pet Pantry returns Claire’s joyful yodel in our appreciation for dedicated pet owners like Angela and promise to keep helping these two in the future.

Impact Report – 2023

In the last 12 months…

9 Million Meals fed to pets in need
1.5 Million Pounds of kibble and
309,000 Cans of wet food distributed to dogs and cats
150,000 Dogs and Cats received a 30-day supply of food
45,000 Families assisted in keeping their pets at home
928 Volunteers generously donated their time, adding up to
17,537 Hours of Service, equates to
$602,558 Donated toward keeping families together
($34.36 per hour in Colorado via Independent Sector in 2023)

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Doubled warehouse space in Cortez to be more efficient with transporting pet food to Southwest Colorado, reducing our carbon footprint and better preparing for winter months
Rescued 1.5 Million pounds of pet food from people, businesses, and pet food brands that may have been destined for landfills, to help feed pets-in-need
Partnered with Food Bank of the Rockies to move almost 100,000 lbs of pet food each year to the Western Slope in their trucks with available pallet space.
Collected thousands of pet related supplies and streamlined them into the hands of over 100 animal welfare organizations in Colorado, through our Animal Welfare Share Program.

BUILDING EFFICIENCIES WITHIN ANIMAL WELFARE

It costs $200-$2,000 for an animal shelter or rescue to re-home a pet. Colorado Pet Pantry helps beloved pets stay with their people so shelters and rescues can focus on truly homeless pets.
Our Animal Welfare Share Program is a hub for donated dog and cat supplies, allowing animal rescues, shelters, low-cost veterinary services, and other animal welfare organizations the ability to reduce the amount spent on items like pet beds, collars, leashes, crates, kennels, bowls, and prescription pet food, saving these items from landfills, and saving funds for other much-needed services, such as vet care.

Client Stories – Lisa and Velcro

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.

Client Stories: Dawn, Brave, Zeke & Kalos

“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.

Volunteer Krystal Parish Receives Minoru Yasui Community Volunteer Award

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.

Keeping Families Together in 2022

“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.

Word of Thanks – Next with Kyle Clark

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:

Donate to Word of Thanks Campaign

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.

Stories – Christa and Bentley

In October 2021, Christa acquired her special friend and companion, Bentley. She refers to him as a cuddle bug but he is so much more than that, because Christa also has Diabetes. “I wouldn’t trade him for the world,” Christa shares, “He lets me know when my blood sugar is out of control, wakes me up when my breathing stops, and even acted strangely before I had a tachycardia episode. He can make me smile on days when depression is bad. He brightens every day.”

As a medical assistance dog, Bentley is the BEST. Christa literally cannot live without this boy. “The expense of training and keeping a dog healthy is challenging. The Colorado Pet Pantry helps immensely,” Christa says.

Christa joins us every other month at our Grand Junction pet food bank on the Western Slope of Colorado where she is able to get Bentley the pet food he needs to thrive.

In December, 2020, Colorado Pet Pantry finally crossed the Continental Divide and opened the Grand Junction/Clifton pet food bank. Over the past couple years, this has turned into one of our busiest locations. On an average month, we distribute 4,600 lbs of dry pet food to 155 families, helping them keep their 485 pets in their loving homes and out of shelters.

We would not be able to do this every single month if it weren’t for our amazing supporters. We are working hard to grow our network of supporters, volunteers and donors on the Western Slope. You can help support our operations on the Western Slope (or anywhere in Colorado) by donating funds, pet food, or time. Together we can assist all the Bentley’s in Colorado, to be sure they have the ability to stay in their homes with their loving humans forever.