A Few Words from Our Volunteers

The dedicated volunteers that work the Pet Food Pantry and make the deliveries see first-hand the good that comes from this program.  I wanted to share some of their stories with you so you can see it too. Pictured above is Shadow, one of the many cats that benefit from this program.

Here goes:

“Gail was a very independent woman, who before she was diagnosed with cancer, worked as an engineer in the Tacoma area. After her diagnosis and a year of treatments, hospitalizations, and follow-up for her cancer, she found herself on a limited income with very little resources. She had to sell her house and move into a subsidized apartment with her son who recently finished his tour of duty and was home from Iraq. She called to ask for help with a donation of cat food and kitty litter to keep her 2 cats in the apartment with her. We continued to deliver food over the years, and they both had a good long life until they passed. When Gail lost the second cat, she could adopt a kitten through a special program at the Humane Society. The kitten gives her a reason to get up in the morning, and the feeling is mutual I am sure.”
 

Linda, Senior Pet Food Pantry Delivery Driver

“I was working at the Pet Food Pantry was when we received a call. We were told by a staff member that an elderly woman had called and asked to specifically speak to the Pet Food Pantry. We were confused because we never get calls. The woman wanted to speak with us because we had given her cat treats that her pets LOVED and she wanted to know where we got it. Unfortunately, we could not provide her with an answer, but we told her that we would be glad to provide her with more of the treat during her next delivery. This moment stood out to me because it demonstrated the impact that the PFP has on peoples' lives and those of their pets. We brought a woman and her pet a lot of joy and enabled her to provide enrichment for her pet when it would not have been possible otherwise.”


Anna, Pet Food Pantry Volunteer

“I met Shirley several years ago when she called the PFP and left a message that she could not afford to feed her two indoor cats and some of the other stray community cats that lived under her trailer. She found help to get them all neutered through NW Spay and Neuter, and then realized she could not feed them all. Shirley, 55 yrs young, was also a caretaker for her daughter, who has multiple disabilities. They lived on a limited and fixed income. The scariest thing, Shirley said, would be “to not have my pets with me or not have adequate food for them.” I signed her up for a monthly delivery of pet food and kitty litter for her two cats and a little extra for the strays, whom her neighbors also help to feed. Shirley recently got home from the hospital and found her cats well fed and taken care of by Shirley’s caregiver – thanks to our monthly delivery person, Rob. Rob volunteers his time on the first Saturday to make sure that Shirley and others on his route can feed their pets. Here is Shadow – a happy recipient of cat food from the PFP”

Linda, Senior Pet Food Pantry Delivery Driver

“My delivery route is long, going from Tacoma to Puyallup and then to Parkland area. What I find rewarding is the smiles on each of the individuals that open their door for me. Recently, I had a delivery, and usually, the wife comes out and greets me, that day it was the husband. We were talking about fishing, and when I was leaving, he said, '"you come here every month and deliver food, here's a few bucks for gas."  I declined his offer and told him I appreciated that, and I'll see you next month, and we can talk about fishing.”


Craig Nutter, Senior Pet Food Pantry Delivery Driver


Thank you so much for sharing your sweet stories, Linda, Anna, and Craig.


All of the money we raise today will help fill the pantry shelves with cat food and supplies. It will allow this program to reach out further into the community and help even more people and their pets. Every bit helps, so a donation of any amount is greatly appreciated!

I hope you'll choose to support this valuable program today. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our fundraising page! 

And don't forget, thanks to a generous match from Cynthia, our dollars are doubled until we reach the $5000 max.  We've got until 7:00 PM (Pacific time) to get there, and we've got $2900 to go.

Thank you so much!