AN UREGENT MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT/FOUNDER:
Hello Food 4 Paws Clients and Supporters,
WE NEED YOUR HELP!! PLEASE SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!!!
Oct 29, 2024 I received a phone call followed up by an email giving us 30 days to vacate our rented space at the Optimum Community Center (formally known as the Suddenlink Community Center, originally the Mt View Elementary). Which means we need a new space for pet food by Nov 29, 2024. I have asked for an extension, asked for the reasons and was repeatedly told that with all the construction (verbally) “We have decided to go in a different direction for use” (of the Optimum Community Center). We have been doing our Pantry Days every month for 10 yrs now. We started with 5 family June 2014 and a year later in June 2015 we had 25 families receiving pet food. These days we average 35-40 families every month.
We are not rich in cash donations as we mostly get actual pet food donations. We had a local business that paid our rent where we are currently until March 2023. Since then, we have done everything we can to pay the rent. Occasionally we do get pet items donated from various sources. We typically have used the money raised from sale of those items to purchase specialty food if a pet is vet diagnosed with certain ailments that require food not usually donated but have had to use these funds for rent. It has been stressful. We would LOVE to get a space donated in exchange for a donation receipt for tax purposes to relieve a little stress from us.
What do we do?:
Any day of the month we might be called on for emergency pet food for a new client. But for sure weekly we pick up at least 2 good size pet food donations and take to our Pantry space. 1 or 2 days in the middle of the month 2 of our volunteers do any re-bagging of large broken bags of pet food and treats. At the end of the month we spend a few hours one day packing pet food for each household that has asked to be on the list for the month. And then on the 4th Sat of every month we have our Pantry Day for 2 hours and everyone comes to pick up their pet food. We are very organized and structured.
What do we need?:
Due to generous weekly donations locally as well as occasional extra-large donations from out of the area & from large corporations of pet food we need:
- a minimum of 400 square feet of lockable space
- that is climate controlled (because kibble beings to spoil at 80 degrees)
- a bathroom (for the volunteers)