GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) -- It's one of the top requests at food banks in the Grand Junction area: pet food. The Community Food Bank said their mission statement doesn't allow them to collect or buy pet food, so they rely on other sources.
For the third Thanksgiving running, the Tiara Rado Animal Hospital on the Redlands had a food drive for pets.
Grand Junction residents handed over more than 850 pounds of kibble and nearly 900 dollars in cash this year.
Each year the hospital matches all pet food and cash donations from the community. Making the total donation for 2016 add up to 1,722 pounds of dry and canned dog and cat food plus $1,720.50 in cash to the Community Food Bank.
Thursday the animal hospital loaded up a truckload of food with the community food bank.
“Sometimes they [animals] are forgotten around the holiday time especially there are those needs in community not only the toys and people food, but also the pet food so we can help out four-legged friends," said Jeff Stroud, the Client Services Representative at Tiara Rado Animal Hospital.
The food drive ran for the last month. The Community Food Bank can't take donations all year, so if you missed this year, you'll have to wait until next year.
"We all work together to address hunger in the Valley , so we are a group of people that is compassionate and this is the most important time of year of course," said Biff Messinger, the President of the Board of the Directors of the Community Food Bank.
The community Food Bank has more than 40 volunteers that work during the the holiday season to serve vulnerable members in the community.
