A Food Pantry For Pets: Local Nonprofit Aims to Help Pet Owners

BEVERLY, MA – Mike Pizzi was trying to think of a way to give back to the community: He thought about the food pantries in the area, and the service they do for people who need it. Then his cats gave him an idea.

In what he thought would be a small pet project, Pizzi started the North Shore Pet Pantry to help pet owners in financial need. He started by soliciting donations of pet food and funds from his family and friends, and the pantry grew to help people all over the North Shore. The pantry recently obtained 501(c)(3) status.

"We're here to help struggling pet owners," said Pizzi on Monday. "Our goal is to keep the animal in the home as much as we can."

Currently, the pantry can only give families pet food once a month. Pizzi said it serves mostly as a way to get people through a rough patch: If someone has lost their job or is waiting on a Social Security check, a donation of food and litter can help them keep their pets while they get back on their feet.

The pantry serves Beverly, Salem, Danvers, and Peabody. Applicants fill out a form online describing their situation, which Pizzi reviews shortly after it's submitted. Pizzi then makes contact with the applicant and arranges to either deliver the supplies, or set a pickup location. The pantry has dropbox locations around the city for donations.

Pizzi said donations can be sporadic, which makes it hard to support families more than once a month. The pantry is holding a silent auction until Oct. 18, and bids on pet-themed art have raised over $600. The goal of the auction is to raise $1,000 to get the pantry into a storage space in the Cummings Center.

When students found a cat behind a Montserrat College of Art building, Resident Assistant Remy Marie called the area shelters. When none of the shelters were open, she went to her boyfriend, Dino Rowan Traite.

Traite asked around to see if anyone could lend a hand, and someone put him in touch with Pizzi. In a matter of hours, Pizzi had set Traite up with food, litter, and a litter box. Traite took care of the cat until he and Marie found a permanent home for her. The cat, Hardie (named for the building where she was found), is something of a Montserrat legend now.

"Hardie's gotten a lot of love," said Traite. He said Pizzi has followed up to check on the cat, and Traite has become a Pet Pantry donor as a way of saying thanks.

The pantry is holding a low-cost vet clinic in November with Healing Hands Veterinary Service LLC at Four Leggers Doggie Daycare and Spa. Pet owners that register for the event beforehand can get shots at-cost, with no office visit fee.

To learn more about the North Shore Pet Pantry and their upcoming events, visit its website here.

Photo courtesy of Remy Marie