An Asheville non-profit plans to open a cat pantry in the city in the next few weeks. (Image: WLOS)
A non-profit in Asheville plans to open a new food pantry in town.
There won't be human food inside.
Instead, you'll find cat food.
"It will fill a great need in the community," said Emily Gelb, Asheville Humane Society.
She helps people in the community who need help with their pets.
"We currently have a pet food assistance program that serves about 5,500 pounds a month of pet food," Gelb said.
It runs only off donations.
"We do struggle with keeping up with food since it's all donation run - especially for cat food," Gelb added.
To fill that void in the community, and to keep cats fed, Veronica Coit came up with an idea.
"We're gonna provide cat food, cat litter, flea medicine, etc. We've got kitten replacement milk for emergency kittens and we're hoping to get our hands on some cardboard crates," she said.
Her non-profit organization, Asheville Cat Weirdos, will soon open a cat pantry.
"Sometimes the simplest things can mean the difference between someone getting to keep a beloved pet," Coit said.
Anyone who owns a cat in the area, who might struggle to pay for basic necessities, will be able to come to the pantry and get what they need.
"Many of these folks have had their pets for a really long time and love their pets and they're part of the family. But, when something happens to someone and they can't afford to feed themselves, much less their pet, we see that people sometimes come to the point where they have to surrender than pet to the shelter," said Gelb.
The goal of the pantry is to keep less cats in shelters and put more inside loving homes.
"It's really important for these families who love these pets to have access to food to help them get through what might just be a difficult circumstance for them," Gelb said.
The pantry will be located at the Mountain Pet Rescue on New Leicester Highway. It will open August 18th.
In the meantime, if you'd like to make a donation to the pantry, you can drop it off at: WestSide Shears off Haywood Road or Ashewell Medical Group at 408 Depot St, Suite 150.
