Due to the heat of the summer, we have altered our normal pet food bank hours to take place during the mornings, from 7:30AM to 9:30AM.
In addition, we do plan to have a July pet food bank this year. You are welcome to come to our pet food bank in July if you have not received pet food since May 2023.
We will distribute pet food on July 31st and August 28th from 7:30AM to 9:30AM.
Our services are meant to be supplementary and do not cover all of your pet food needs.
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.
Photos of our very first pet food bank, June 6, 2013.
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.
Colorado Pet Pantry’s Second Warehouse in Cortez, Colorado
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.
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.
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.
How will this affect Colorado Pet Pantry?
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.
How can you help?
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.
