TACOMA, Wash. — A pet food bank in Tacoma is starting the new year with a lot to be thankful for.
In November, KIRO 7′s Louie Tran shared the story of Puget Sound Pet Food Bank, which was on the brink of shutting down because supplies and money were running low to help pet owners in need— but the community wasn’t going to let that happen.
The pet food bank relies heavily on donations to stock its pet food supplies and pay the non-profit’s monthly rent.
Since our story aired, donations have poured in—including ones from two generous donors who have offered to cover rent and utilities for the next six to eight months.
“We were overwhelmed. We weren’t expecting that,” President of Puget Sound Pet Food Bank DeeDee Howe told KIRO 7. “We were hoping that people would at least help us you know financially and to be able to continue to feed the pets even though they might not necessarily have a permanent home, but to have two separate individuals step up and say, ‘We appreciate what you’re doing and want to help you continue what you’re doing and want to make sure you can do what you do,’ was humbling and exciting.”
Howe says hundreds of people have donated via their website, PayPal, purchased items off their Amazon Wishlist and brought items in.
“The response to the piece that Louie did has been absolutely amazing,” Howe said. “We’ve had lots of monetary donations coming in which is awesome, and several are recurring donations which is something we’ve always been hoping for.”
The building did shut down on Dec. 29 and Howe thought that was it— until she received two unexpected emails.
“I had a gentleman reach out and we met on New Year’s Eve and explained our plight a little more and so he and his wife said they wanted to help,” Howe told KIRO 7. “They offered to cover three if not four months and prior to that I had another gentleman reach out.”
Howe says operations will resume at the Tacoma location on Jan. 11. Hours will be the same as before. Noah’s Pet Project will also be able to continue to provide their wellness program at the Tacoma location in 2025.
Howe says her team is grateful for the temporary extension. But it is, in fact, temporary— they need more room. The goal is to also partner with Pasado’s Safe Haven to offer spay and neuter services at the same location.
“Our mission now is to find a home for all three of us and with this extension, we now have the time to do that so we are excited,” Howe told KIRO 7.
She says they’ve already looked at one location and are scoping out a second potential future home. Howe says she will update KIRO 7 on the search as it progresses.
If you’d like to donate to Puget Sound Pet Food Bank, you can do so by clicking here.
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