Pet Pantry aims to keep pets and owners together | al.com
The pet adoption stamps have created an interest in USPS stamps that Postmarks hasn't seen in a long time. Here's just one example of the good things that can happen when awareness is brought to a social issue via stamps.
The pet adoption stamps have created an interest in USPS stamps that Postmarks hasn't seen in a long time. Here's just one example of the good things that can happen when awareness is brought to a social issue via stamps.
Pet Pantry aims to keep pets and owners together
By Press-Register Correspondent
April 29, 2010, 9:07AM
The tough economy has hit Baldwin County’s animals hard.
A record number of families are making the difficult decision to give up their pets because they can no longer afford to feed them, said Sonja Presley, executive director of the Baldwin County Humane Society.
"Owner surrenders are at an all-time high," Presley said. "We see it every day. When the economy is bad, oftentimes the dogs and the cats are the first to be downsized."
That’s why the Humane Society, also known as BARC!, earlier this month established the first Pet Food Pantry in the region. The program kickoff will coincide with release of the U.S. Postal System’s "Stamps to the Rescue," which raises public awareness of the need to adopt rescued shelter cats and dogs, officials said.
The Postal Service is issuing the special 44-cent stamps — Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet — in 10 designs and its campaign is titled "These Stamps are Something to Wag At."
The Humane Society has partnered with community food banks — Ecumenical Ministries in Foley and Fairhope, and Prodisee Pantry in Spanish Fort — to provide income-eligible families with pet food and cat litter.
"We approached the food banks and they have clients who have been asking for pet food for a long time," Presley said. "They are feeding their people food to their pets."
Income-eligible families can pick up their pet food at Ecumenical Ministries throughout the week and at Prodisee Pantry on Tuesdays, starting next week from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., where the Humane Society van will be loaded with pet food for distribution.
To stock shelves, the public is being asked to donate all types of pet food — dry or canned chow for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens — and drop them off at various collection points throughout Baldwin County, Presley said. Smaller bags of 10 pounds or less are preferred because they are easier to store and distribute, and cat litter also is needed, she said.
"This is an ongoing pet food pantry and distribution rather than a one-time pet food drive," Presley said.
Collection points are being added daily, but currently pet food can be dropped off at the following locations:
Robertsdale Feed Store at 21353 Ala. 59 South.
PetSense at the Tanger Outlet in Foley.
Get Personal Custom Embroidery at 14923 Ala. 59 in Foley.
RW North Salon at 25325 U.S. 98 in Daphne.
Baldwin County Humane Society office at 306 Magnolia Ave. in Fairhope.
Pet food and cat litter donation drives also will be held at local post offices simultaneously with the debut of "Stamps to the Rescue," which bear images of rescued shelter cats and dogs.
"It is just divine intervention that the postmasters approached me about it," Presley said.
The public is being asked to bring pet food and litter to the Fairhope Post Office on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and to the Foley Post Office on May 15 from 9 a.m. to noon.
For more information about the pet food drive at the post offices, contact Fairhope Postmaster Gaylon Levins or Foley Post Office Customer Service Supervisor Dave Beasley; or visit http://stampstotherescue.com.
Since the community pet food drive began last week, Presley said donations have come from people who responded to an electronic newsletter sent over the Internet to some 4,000 people on Facebook, My Space and Twitter.
"We used all our social networking tools to get the word out," Presley said.
In addition to donations, volunteers are necessary to deliver the items from distribution sites to the three food pantries and to distribute them, Presley said.
"We keep the shelves stocked at Ecumenical Ministries and people come in daily to get their pet food," Presley said. "But we need more groups — women’s clubs, church groups and individuals — to help distribute the food at Prodisee Pantry. We must have three volunteers there every Tuesday."
Anyone who wants to lend a helping hand, including business owners interested in serving as a collection point, should contact Presley at 251-928-4585, ext. 102 or by e-mail at BARC_ExecDir@BaldwinHumane.org.
The Baldwin County Humane Society incorporated in 1979 as a not-for-profit countywide animal welfare organization.
"This is a passion project for our board President Maria Gwynn, who was one of the original founders of the Baldwin County Humane Society in 1979," Presley said.
