The Hungry Bowl Pet Food Drive brought in a record 677.5 pounds of dog and cat food during the month of October.
Last year, 473 pounds of pet food was collected. The food, collected at Burlington’s four elementary schools, will be donated to two area animal shelters, Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem and the MSPCA Nevins Farm in Methuen. Wendi Dellemonico of Burlington, owner of Better Way Pet Sitting Service, started the pet food drive last year as a way to help the animal shelters. The campaign uses barrels decorated to look like dogs which are placed in each school’s lobby. She has no current plans to expand the program into the middle and high schools, but said it might be possible in the future.
As a member of Pet Sitters International, Dellemonico said she realized there is a greater need today to provide pet food to shelters and pet rescue organizations, which prompted her to establish the pet food drive in Burlington. Dellemonico credits the increased amount of pet food donated this year to more publicity, and the students being excited when they saw the dog-decorated collection barrels in their schools.
