Area Animal Shelters Set Up Pet Food Banks For Families In Need

CHARLOTTE, NC –  For many people, pets are part of the family, but when times get tough, caring for them can become a burden. That’s where the humane society and local shelters come in to help. 

“It’s not cheap to have a pet,” said Bob Carruth. 

He would know. Carruth and his wife have 16 pets, most of them rescues. 

“It helps to have a place you can come to take care of that pet,” said Carruth. 

The Humane Society of Cabarrus County set up a pet food bank earlier this week. 

“We have managed to collect quite a bit and we’ve had people coming in and taking advantage of that,” said Executive Director Judy Sims.

She says they were looking for ways to support a community that has always supported them. 

“As a small non-profit without any support from the city or state, our hands are kind of tied to what we can do so this is something we can do,” said Sims. 

Sims says the food bank is free for people in need so they can continue to care for their own pet and not have to give them up. 

“In a lot of cases their pet at home is their only contact source of comfort,” said Sims.

In York County, a food pantry was stocked on Wednesday and word of the availability was sent out to people struggling to afford food and supplies for their animals. 

“Probably 25 phone calls in the first part of the day today,” said Bobbie Comer, the head of the York County Animal Shelter. 

She says with unemployment skyrocketing, there’s a huge need right now, that they plan to meet. 

“We need to be sustainable for the community.  We need to keep going. We need to be able to provide this for families and we can’t afford to stop for these families,” said Comer.