New Vernon Pet Pantry — 4,000 Pounds of Food In 10 Weeks

VERNON, CT — The new Vernon Pet Pantry is off to what organizers are calling "an Incredible Start."

A total of 4,000 pounds of food has been collected in its first 10 weeks.

At the end of October last year a group of local Vernon residents established the pantry with the Hockanum Valley Community Council in an effort to help families struggling to feed and care for their pets.

"What an incredible outpouring of support," said Lisa Moody, one of the lead organizers of the pantry. "Four thousand pounds of food means that hundreds of dogs and cats are no longer going hungry or will not be cruelly abandoned because their owners cannot afford to feed them."

The early success of the pantry is "due to dedicated volunteers and a caring community that knows that abandoned or underfed pets are vulnerable and defenseless. They cannot ask for help themselves," Moody said.

Helping pets is an added feature of the HVCC food pantry. Its main food pantry helps food insecure
families in many eastern Connecticut towns.

"We are off to a great start," Moody said, "But we must keep the momentum going and the donations coming in."

Those wishing to help may bring their donations directly to Hockanum Valley Community Council, 29 Naek Road, Suite 5A.

Or they may bring them to any of the several donation bins that are being placed in and around Vernon. The donation bins are at:

• Dog Essentials (Route 83)
• Posh Pups (56 Hyde Avenue, Route 30)
• Both Vernon Stop & Shop stores, along with the South Windsor store
• Mellow Mutt (Parker Street) in Manchester
• The Proper Pet (Fieldstone Commons) in Tolland
• Leaps and Bones at Evergreen Walk
• Coldwell Banker Realty (Buckland Road)

ShopRite in Vernon is providing pre-packaged donation bags for sale. The items in the bags will be brought by volunteers to HVCC.

Larger bags of dry cat and dog food will be broken down into smaller units so that more families will benefit from the donations.