PRINCETON — Homeless dogs and cats housed in Mercer and McDowell County animal shelters eat hundreds of pounds of food every year, but there is a proposal to create convenient drop-off points for food donations.
Local animal shelter personnel, volunteers and animal rescue advocates met Thursday at Liberty Tax Service off Brick Street to share ideas for increasing pet food donations. Sam Baker of Nationwide Insurance proposed using a large trailer outside his Brick Street agency as a drop off point for pet food. He said that making the act of donating more convenient could boost donations because the donors wouldn’t have to visit the animals shelters, which often are not off main highways.
If the Brick Street trailer and others were stationed at multiple locations, the collected pet food could be distributed to the Mercer County Animal Shelter and the McDowell County Humane Society. John and Vivian Sidote, volunteers at the McDowell County shelter, said their facility didn’t received any government funding.
“We operate on donations only, so that’s why it’s important we get what we can,” John Sidote said.
Baker said he vision was to develop a system of trailers with “proper signage and stickers” where people could leave pet food donations. One goal would be to automate these drop off points so people will feel comfortable coming to them and leaving their donations. He estimated that creating these trails would cost approximately $2,500 per location.
Director Elizabeth Morehead of the Mercer County Animal Shelter said the dogs at her facility, depending on the number being housed, can eat 50 to 100 pounds of food daily. Baker said if a series of collection points could yield about 1,000 pounds of pet food regularly, it would result in a “great, great financial benefit.”
“It has to be convenient and it has to be safe,” he said.
Participants at Thursday’s brainstorming session suggested getting volunteers from organizations like Appalachian Teen Challenge, 4-H students, and local artists to decorate the trailers and make them eyecatching. Volunteers including the Sidotes also pointed out that not all the food that arrives at their shelter is usable. Dog food bags that have been ripped open attracts bugs and spoils quickly, and it could be contaminated.
One volunteer was concerned that the Mercer County shelter, which is funded by the county, could lose money if the funds alloted on its budget for food isn’t spent for that purpose. Morehead, who has been director for about a year, stated she was not aware of this ever happening in the past; the shelter had “great support” in the form of donations from the community and local businesses. Canned pet food and cat litter are usually needed at the Mercer shelter.
Donations generated by Baker’s proposal could help pets that have homes. Morehead said one idea is to distribute the collected food to pet owners facing difficult financial times so they won’t have to give up their dogs and cats.
“Just because somebody isn’t financially able doesn’t mean they’re a bad pet owner,” Morehead said. The Mercer County shelter has occasionally provided pet food to owners who have requested it. “Some are too embarrassed to ask for help.”
One organization, Save-A-Pet Food Bank, which is operated by Second Chance for Cats, keeps extra dog and cat food at the Bluefield Union Mission for pet owners in need; the mission does not fund the pet food bank, but it provides storage space.
“We decided that we’re going to move forward, and rather than tackle a series of issues, we’re going to concentrate on one thing and do that one thing very, very well,” Baker said. “And that’s the collection of food. By spring we will have our first container open on Brick Street by my office.”
If the Brick Street location is successful, work will start on putting collection trailers at other accessible sites, Baker concluded.
— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
