MSPCA-Angell Sets 100K Pet Food Donation Goal For Giving Tuesday

MASSACHUSETTS — A record goal of distributing at least 100,000 pet meals in a single day for owners in need has the MSPCA-Angell seeking pet food and monetary donations ahead of Giving Tuesday.

An MSPCA-Angell spokesperson said the goal is the loftiest ever for a single day in the organization's 150-year history.

"So far this month, we've held 25 pop-ups, in addition to delivering pet food to 31 human food pantries," said Director of the MSPCA-Angell's Community Outreach program, Alyssa Krieger. "We’ve already distributed more than 200,000 pet meals in November, which is truly incredible."

"Food insecurity is a real concern in many communities across the state. We work year-round to bring pet food into these communities, but with the cut in SNAP benefits earlier this month, the need surged, so we had to work harder than ever."

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Krieger said the SNAP-benefit delay and other holiday season factors have a trickle-down effect on pets as some homes struggle with food insecurity.

“Obviously, when the shutdown happened, things got even worse, and it's right before the holidays, which is often already a lean time for many people, so the timing couldn’t be worse," she said.

The MSPCA-Angell's Giving Tuesday food pantry will be held on Dec. 1 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Franklin Park Playstead on Pierpont Road in Boston, near the Franklin Park Zoo's Giraffe entrance.

"We think that it will be a really busy day," said Krieger. "We've gotten fantastic support from the community to this point, and we're extremely grateful.

“Unfortunately, the need is still there, so we're hoping that people hear this call and help us give back to make sure pet families will have the happy holidays they deserve."

Those who would like to donate to help support the Giving Tuesday pet food pantry are asked to drop food off at the MSPCA-Angell's Boston Adoption Center, send food via its wish lists here, or give here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)