Three Local Animal Shelters To Host Free Drive-Thru Pantry Event On May 29

From the City of Wilmington:

May 27, 2020

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki today invited pet owners to a FREE drive-thru pantry event to be held on Friday, May 29 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center, at 601 New Castle Avenue in Wilmington. The Mayor thanked Faithful Friends Animal Society, the Delaware Humane Association, and the Delaware SPCA for partnering with the Henrietta Johnson Center to help bring essential pet food and supplies to families in need.

“This pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone and has left many in our community in great need,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We are a City that cares deeply about children and families and their animals, because no member of the family should be overlooked in the daily struggle to cope with the challenges presented by this virus. I am grateful to Faithful Friends, the Delaware Humane Association, and the Delaware SPCA for organizing this free drive-thru pantry event in Wilmington to help ensure that everyone’s companion animal can be properly fed.”

"Free Pet Food banks are an essential service that keep pets with their loving owners,” said Faithful Friends Executive Director, Jane Pierantozzi. “The drive-up food banks will ease the worry and financial burden on many families and colony caretakers who have been affected economically during this pandemic. During these uncertain times our shelters realize how animals are a critical emotional support to us and our families. Our shelters are grateful to the donors who made this Strategic Response Fund available so that we can increase our regular pet free food bank programs and bring them out into the community to those in need."

The drive-thru format requires participants to arrive in a vehicle, where they should remain to maintain social distancing while staff and volunteers load the pet food and/or cat litter into the trunk or hatchback. This Friday’s community pet food banks are made possible through a generous $28,000 grant from the COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, part of the broader Delaware COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative by the Delaware Community Foundation, United Way of Delaware, Philanthropy Delaware and the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement. Visit delawarehumane.org, faithfulfriends.us, or delspca.org for more information or to donate.

About Faithful Friends Animal Society
Faithful Friends Animal Society is a privately funded, nonprofit animal welfare organization with a no-kill shelter serving Delaware and surrounding communities. The organization serves 18,000 pets and 20,000 people annually through rescue/adoption and outreach services including a low-cost veterinary clinic, free pet food bank, and pet lifeline resource hotline for pet caretakers in crisis. Faithful Friends provides sanctuary care for animals with special needs who are harder to adopt and does not euthanize animals to make space for others. For more information, visit www.faithfulfriends.us

About Delaware Humane Association
Delaware Humane Association (DHA), located in both Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, is a nonprofit, no-kill animal care and adoption center. DHA’s mission is to make "friends for life" by connecting people with animals, and by building strong relationships to better serve the community. DHA is committed to providing for the needs of homeless and owned dogs and cats by providing temporary shelter, affordable spay and neuter services, low-cost vaccination clinics, a pet food pantry, adoption and placement resources, and more. For more information, or to donate, visit delawarehumane.org and connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @delawarehumane.

About Delaware SPCA
Delaware SPCA, the state’s first animal shelter, is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of companion animals through temporary housing, care, and adoption for homeless pets. A leading provider of low-cost spay/neuter services in the state, Delaware SPCA offers affordable veterinary services to the community, including regular vaccine clinics and a pet food pantry, to enable pet retention. For more information or to support Delaware SPCA’s lifesaving work, visit www.delspca.org.

This press release was produced by the City of Wilmington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.