Geauga Humane Society's Rescue Village will be offering a "Pet Food Pantry" to help families -- and their pets -- in need of assistance.
The program is open to the public and will provide cat and dog food for people struggling to feed their pets, on a first-come, first-served basis. Pickup times will be on Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, according to a news release. Pickup is set to begin Jan. 25.
Leah Backo, marketing and public relations coordinator for Rescue Village, mentioned that the program will help the shelter further their mission.
"Our mission is to act on behalf of animals and inspire people to build a more humane community," Backo said. "So, keeping people and their pets together is absolutely part of that. We don't want someone to feel that, because they're financially struggling, that the only option for them is to turn that animal back over to us."
People affected by the government shutdown are especially encouraged to take part in the program. According to the release, proof of eligibility is not required. Backo stated that the shelter has considered the program for a while, but that the government shutdown was also a driving factor.
"This program has sort of been in existence, but just under the radar," Backo said. "If our humane officer finds someone who was struggling to feed their animal because they didn't have the money, we would absolutely bring food out there. So kind of making a bigger deal out of it (with the pantry program), we want people to know that we are a resource for that.
"With everything going on with the government shutdown, it was just a great way to start this off."
Backo added that the donations will be available even after the government shutdown. She said that the pickup times are currently in a trial-and-error and may change in the future.
For now, the pantry will only provide dog and cat food.
The release stated that "Rescue Village believes that tight financial times should not break the bonds of love and companionship between people and their companion animals."
Rescue Village's pantry will rely on donations and they may not always be available, Backo said. Those interested are asked to check if food is available beforehand by emailing intake@rescuevillage.org or calling 440-338-4819, ext. 13.
To make donations to Rescue Village, visit https://www.rescuevillage.org/donate/ or stop by the shelter. Non-monetary donations can be left at the door during or outside of open hours.
