Animal shelters low on pet food ask for donations

The call for pet food: wet and dry, is being put out by local animal shelters. Pet pantries that give free food to owners in need say they are experiencing a shortage of donations.

ALBANY & COLUMBIA COUNTIES, N.Y. (NEWS10) -The call for pet food: wet and dry, is being put out by local animal shelters. Pet pantries that give free food to owners in need say they are experiencing a shortage of donations.

At Mohawk Hudson Humane Society (MHHS), there's a no-questions-asked policy when it comes to getting free food for the family pets. The creation of its pantry came about to keep pets in loving homes and not be surrendered.

Almost 100,000 meals were given out in 2023 and its CEO and President, Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, says demand isn't going down. "We could have anywhere between 25 to 30 people per day to utilize our pet food pantry."

After turning to social media for help, Bouck says the community is making sure no pet goes hungry. Columbia-Greene Humane Society (CGHS) is also asking for help and both accept donations the same way.

"You can buy donations; bring it here. You can also purchase on Chewy and Amazon and have it shipped here," explained Ron Perez, President of CGHS.

Both presidents say they also have a greater shortage of the same kind of food. "It's always dry cat food," said Perez. "That's what we go through the most of and it's always what we need the most. It's essential; there's a lot of people that have limited income. They love their animals, they just don't have the money to feed them."

The shelters told NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowski that summertime is when cats and dogs are likely to be in heat. More potential mouths to feed means both humane societies are grateful for everything they can get.

Mohawk Hudson Humane Society is hosting pop-up pet food pantries for people to receive free food and some accessories for their family pets. Anyone interested can go to 378 10th Street in Troy from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the following Wednesdays:

• July 17
• September 18
• November 13