The PETCO Foundation and PETCO, with support from Best Friends Animal Society, will host America’s first National Pet Food Drive from Nov. 5 through Nov. 14, to ensure all pet parents can provide a healthy and plentiful holiday season for their four-legged family members. Specially-marked pet food collection bins can be found in PETCO stores across the country.  Click here to read more about the PETCO Foundation event.

More than 300 Best Friends volunteers will be mobilizing in 198 stores all over the U.S. on Nov. 6-7 and 13-14.  Volunteers will explain the goals of the food drive, talk about the mission to achieve a day when there are No More Homeless Pets, distribute Best Friends materials, and help collect the food, which will be distributed by local food banks to families in need.

Judy Marshall, a Best Friends volunteer for three years, will be helping with the food drive. “I live in Brevard County, Florida, and we don’t have a pet food pantry set up in the county to help pet owners who have lost their jobs or homes,” she says. “For the past few years, many of these people have had to make the heartbreaking decision to relinquish their pets to the local shelter simply because they couldn’t afford to feed their pets.

“Last year’s First Home Forever Home Four-Legged Food Drive  provided the tools for myself and Debbie Rich, a fellow Best Friends volunteer, to set up a very successful summertime pet food drive,” she adds. “I’m looking forward to this year’s drive and have high hopes that I can help people keep their pets. Every pound of pet food collected can make a difference.”

Jackie Roach (to the right) of Omaha, Nebraska, will be volunteering again this year, too. “It’s so important to help families during difficult times keep their pets,” she says. “Families shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their children and feeding their pets. If we can help keep just one pet in his home, if we can prevent just one person from having to give up his furry family member, then I can feel really good about how I’ve chosen to spend my time.”

PETCO and the PETCO Foundation launched the first-of-its-kind nationwide network of pet food banks in March starting with about 250 stores in select markets. Today, all of PETCO’s more than 1,000 stores have designated pet food bins in place for year-round collection. Each store has partnered with a local food bank or animal welfare group to donate pet food and litter directly to economically stressed pet parents in that store’s community. The initiative has already provided more than 110 tons of pet food and litter to those in need. Additionally, Hill's Science Diet has committed to match bag-for-bag, for every bag of Hill’s cat or dog food purchased at a PETCO store and donated to the food drive, up to 25,000 pounds.

“Best Friends and the PETCO Foundation share a common goal of keeping pets with their families,” said Ellen Gilmore, specialist for Best Friends’ First Home Forever Home campaign. “What PETCO and the PETCO Foundation have done by building a nationwide network of pet food banks and hosting this National Food Drive just in time for the holiday season is incredibly helpful. We’re thrilled to be able to offer our support and help people feed the pets they love and keep them with their families.”

In the summer of 2009, Best Friends paved the way for the concept of helping families feed their pets during tough times by sponsoring the Four Legged Food Drive, which may have been the largest pet food drive in history, collecting more than 75,000 pounds of pet food in 15 cities with the help of volunteers.

“We are extremely appreciative of our enthusiastic volunteers who are helping with this project as well as other efforts to help pets in their own communities,” Gilmore added.  “Together, we can achieve a day of No More Homeless Pets.”

“At PETCO, we believe that no one should have to give up their pet companions due to financial stress, and our associates and customers agree,” said Paul Jolly, the PETCO Foundation’s executive director. “Our national food bank program makes it easy for people to help keep pets well-nourished and with the families who love them in tough economic times. During this two-week national drive, we’re asking the communities we serve to give a little extra and help us raise awareness for this important program year-round.”

The food bank program is an extension of the PETCO Foundation’s existing “We Are Family, Too” fund, which provides seed funding for animal welfare programs to help pet parents who are in financial crisis, including food banks, product donations, referral lists of pet friendly housing, short term foster care and veterinarian services. While the Foundation also has programs in place to help feed pets in shelters, this program is specifically designed to support local food banks and families in financial crisis.

How you can help:

• Visit your local PETCO to donate pet food to help families in need feed their pets. All donations of unexpired pet food in the original manufacturer’s packaging will be accepted, but Hill's Science Diet has committed to match donations of Hill’s cat or dog food purchased at a PETCO store up to 25,000 pounds. 

• To see a list of store locations where Best Friends volunteers will be present, click here. In locations where volunteers are present, we will be offering a free copy of the Best Friends magazine (while supplies last) as a thank you to people donating pet food.  Please note:  This schedule may be subject to change.

• We are unable to add any additional volunteers to the project at this time, but to find out about other outreach and virtual volunteer opportunities with Best Friends, please contact our volunteer staff at bfvolcoord@bestfriends.org. 

Photos courtesy of Jackie Roach and by Jennifer Hayes