Pet food banks pop up as costs rise

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Tampa Bay is broadening its community outreach efforts by expanding pet food banks, offering vaccine clinics and launching grooming services to assist pet owners facing financial challenges.

Emily Bernhart, Mission Programs Manager at SPCA Tampa Bay, said the organization has been steadily increasing its pet food bank locations to meet growing demand. Currently, SPCA Tampa Bay operates three regular pet food banks: one at their Largo shelter campus on Tuesdays, another at Pasadena Community Church and a recently established location at Hope Villages of America in Clearwater.

The initiative began as a response to the increased food insecurity observed during the height of Covid. Bernhart explained, “People are facing food insecurity and they have animals at home. The pets are probably also facing food insecurity.” This realization led SPCA Tampa Bay to partner with existing human food banks, creating a “one-stop shop” where people could obtain both human and pet food.

The pet food banks serve a diverse demographic, with the Pasadena location primarily catering to retired individuals living on fixed incomes, many of whom are now struggling to make ends meet due to the rising cost of living. The Pasadena pet food clinic began as a six-week pilot program and has now been running for about two years. The pet food pantry operates on the second and fourth Thursday of each month and Bernhart said about two-thirds of the people who drive through the human food line also stop at the pet food table, averaging about 65 cars each week.

SPCA Tampa Bay offers dry and canned dog and cat food at each bi-monthly pet food bank at Pasadena Community Church.

“Our goal with these community support programs is to keep animals in the home,” Bernhart explained. “We want to empower people to keep their pets if they want to and if they’re able to, and one of the easiest things we can do is help people get access to pet care services like food and veterinary care. If that’s all they need in order to keep their pet in the home, we’d much rather have them stay with their animal that they love and already have a bond with than give their animal up.”

This has also helped SPCA Tampa Bay solve a complex, persistent problem that shelters across Florida and the country are facing: overcrowding. Local pet rescue centers and animal shelters have seen a surge in population. A report from Best Friends Animal Society shows that Florida ranks fourth in the nation for animal shelter deaths.

“We’re always there; we never turn anybody away who needs help,” Bernhart said. “However, we don’t want anybody to have to make that decision just because they’re a need of some pet food.”

Those who wish to pick up pet food at some of SPCA Tampa Bay’s food banks, like the Pasadena location, must register with the need-based human food pantry first. Bernhart and her team of volunteers ask those coming through the line what kind of animals they have at home, what size they are and how many pets they have. Then, they distribute pre-portioned dog or cat food to about 65 families, on average. 

“People are overwhelmingly grateful because this is kind of a unique service,” Bernhart said. “There are a couple of pet food banks around the county, but having it so accessible, so close to home for these folks, we’ve been told it’s a huge blessing. We’ve been met with tears of joy. It’s been really successful.”

SPCA Tampa Bay has also begun hosting regular vaccine clinics at its Largo campus, offering free or low-cost vaccines and microchips. SPCA Tampa Bay’s vaccine clinics used to be an as-needed community service, but the program has grown to the point that it’s now a regular occurrence. In August, the nonprofit will also begin offering grooming clinics for the first time.

Volunteers break down large, often donated, bags of dog and cat food into gallon-sized plastic bags, helping them stretch supplies and serve more pet owners in need.

“We’re going to be able to offer free grooming services for people on government assistance who need help with nail trims, or maybe they need help lifting their animal into the bath to give them a wash or shave some mats,” Bernhardt explained. “This will be great for people with mobility issues or people who don’t have the extra money at the end of the month to pay for that bath or nail trim, which is getting super expensive.”

Not only will the grooming clinics save money, but they’ll prevent health issues that can come with infrequent or neglected pet hygiene routines.

“Overgrown nails are a huge thing we see at the shelter. They can grow over, curl into the paw pads and affect the animal’s walking. Dirty ears can lead to ear infections, and if we can prevent an ear infection, with all the medication and the treatment and the vet bills that would come with that, we’d much rather do this preventative kind of maintenance care,” Bernhart explained.

Some of the funding to support these programs has come from grants and support from charitable foundations. SPCA Tampa Bay also relies on cash and in-kind donations, like donated pet food. At the Pasadena location alone, the nonprofit gives out an average of 195 pounds of dog and cat food each time they host the pet food bank.

“It’s been a big benefit to people,” said Linda Borgia, a Pasadena Community Church member and volunteer with the human food bank. “They’re food insecure as it is, and sometimes, they were giving up their food to feed their pets. We try to focus on vulnerable families and children, the homeless and food insecurity, so having [SPCA Tampa Bay] here just brings all that together. It’s a great partnership.”

SPCA Tampa Bay has a list of pet food banks, vaccine clinics, low-cost vet care services and grooming clinics available on its website at spcatampabay.org/community-resources.

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