About Us

The Pet Pantry is a 501(c)(3) charitable volunteer-based organization whose mission is to distribute pet food and relate pet items to families in need in order to keep pets and their families together in times of hardship. The Pet Pantry was founded on the idea of helping those in need. Since our orgaization was established in 2009, we have endeavored to provide help where the need is greatest: to our furry friends. 

Why We Do What We Do  

While working at an animal shelter (APCSM), one of the worst experiences was having to witness the grief when a family surrendered their animal to us. Many of these people had to surrender the animals for reasons related to finances. Some people were just in a transition and if they had only had some resources they could’ve kept their animals.  It was clear that these people loved their animals dearly.​ There were a lot of tears shed during those appointments and I’d be lying if I said that the other staff members and I didn’t cry behind the scenes as well. I can’t even imagine having to be in a position to give up my dog or cat -- the most loving creatures in my life. 

I will never forget the last goodbyes.​ I will never forget having to pull a dog away from its family and the look on his or her face when I put them in a kennel, full of fear and confusion as their life was about to be changed forever. I will never forget watching a cat reluctantly crawl into its new temporary home - a small, metal cage, cowering away from us and trembling in fear of its new unfamiliar surroundings. Everything that they knew was about to be shattered into pieces. When I heard about The Pet Pantry I knew I had to get involved. ​I signed on because I believed I could make a difference. I witnessed the problem firsthand at its root and saw a potential solution to many of these cases.  
 
Who We Serve

We serve a range of people who come to us for a variety of reasons. We have served low income residents, senior citizens, veterans, single parents, and more. We have had a client who utilized our services after undergoing open-heart surgery. They needed supplemental help  with cat food and litter while they could pay off their medical bills and recover. ​All of our clients explain the immense bond they have with their animals and that it would be a tragedy to be separated from them.  
  
We have learned from many of our recipients that when pet food is unavailable at food pantries,  often times people resort to feeding their pets their own human food that they collected from the pantry in the first place. Most owners admit they would go hungry before letting their pets go hungry. That is why we do what we do. 
 
Humble beginnings

In January of 2018 we were serving one food pantry in Taunton, however we have expanded our reach and now actively serve pantries located in Brockton, Easton, Stoughton, Rockland, and Abington. ​We are thrilled to be helping MORE people and MORE pets​!  In early 2018, we also only had one small 5'-long storage bin located in the garage of the APCSM where the shelter staff had allowed us to store some bags and cans of pet food. As time went on and we gained more clients, we graduated to two shelving units and two storage bins in their garage. But we are gradually running out of space.  
 
The Project

We are now at the point where we have so many donations coming in and going out that we are moving into a 48' semi trailer.​ In order to GROW we need a trailer so that we can supply pet food to more animals in need and clients will have an easier time accessing us​. We have been working on renovating it since the summer and we are currently looking for sponsors to help us finish this project.

The Pet Pantry is a piece of the community that has been missing for many years. People have had companion animals for centuries with little to no resources to help in times of need. Having a permanent space for the Pet Pantry means ​we can serve our community more efficiently and help those in need​. There can be options for families who need a little help before deciding to surrender their animals to a shelter.  
 
How You Can Help:

We currently have a sponsorship program in place for anyone who would like to contribute to our mission to help feed animals in need. Individual donations can also be made through our donation page.

We are registered as a non-profit, charitable corporation under the Internal Revenue code, section 501(c)3, and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent of the law.

Thank you for your support.

- Corinne Lawson
  Director