by Nancy Hassel, American Pet Professionals
How to Host a Pet Food Donation Drive
Over the years, here at American Pet Professionals, we have collected thousands of pounds of pet food during our annual holiday events. We always partnered with a local pet food pantry to be at our event and collect the food, and bring it back to their pantry. Our guests were always incredibly generous in bringing multiple bags of pet food for dogs and cats, to help those pet parents who may have fallen on hard times and don’t have the money to feed their pets. No pet should ever have to be relinquished to a shelter due to a pet parent’s circumstances, but it happens often.
This holiday season, now more than ever, I hope that you can help out, whether it is working with your local pet pantries, food banks, or animal rescues that also need food and supplies. Below are simple steps to do this successfully and help our pet parents and pets in need, without judgment. If you do host one after reading this, please contact us and let us know about it!
If you have a smaller pet business or don’t have the space to collect bins of pet food, a one-day event may be easier for your business to coordinate.
Host a One-Day Drive with a Pet Food Pantry
- Research Your Local Pet Food Pantries or Food Banks:
Some food banks also carry pet food, so if you don’t have a specific pet food pantry in your community, a food bank may be taking in pet food donations. - Partner with a Local Pet Food Pantry or Food Bank:
Reach out ahead of time to coordinate the drive, confirm what items they need most, and set up a plan for volunteers to transport donations immediately after the event. - Pick a Single Day:
Choose a day during the holiday season that works for your location and volunteers. A weekend or high-traffic day usually gets the best participation. Or if you’re having an event like we did, coordinate with the pet food pantry to be at your event and ask your attendees to bring pet food donations. (We also invited the media to showcase the efforts). - Select a Convenient Drop-Off Location:
Even a small space works—set up a table or small donation bin near your entrance so donors can easily stop by. If you have a decent-sized sidewalk, you can set up outside of your location; you may need permission from your landlord or city/town/ to do so, so check ahead of time. - Promote the Event Early:
Use social media, email, and local community boards to let people know the date, location, and pantry being supported. Emphasize it’s a one-day event to create urgency. - Provide a List of Needed Items:
Share specifics from the pantry—canned food, dry food, treats, or cat litter—so donors know exactly what to bring. Reach out to local pet food companies in your area or nearby to see if they will also be willing to donate and be part of the one-day event. - Create a Fun, Festive Atmosphere:
Add holiday decorations, signs, and perhaps a small “thank-you” table with holiday cards or treats for donors to make the experience memorable. Partner with a local coffee shop, bakery to ask to provide snacks for the humans that are donating. A nice cross-promotion of businesses in your town or city. - Invite a local animal rescue:
You can make this a double event by showcasing a few local animals for rescue at the event, and perhaps find them forever homes from people stopping by to donate pet food. - Document the Event:
Take photos or short videos of the day in action. Highlight community participation and the total donations collected. Do a photo shoot with yourself, your staff, or volunteers and the pet food pantry personnel to show your business working together to help the community. It will inspire others to do the same. - Thank Everyone Publicly:
Share your success on social media and tag donors, volunteers, and the pantry. Include a note of appreciation to inspire future drives.
Donate to Local Animal Shelters:
- Check Each Shelter’s Wishlist:
Contact local shelters to see what they need most—food, bedding, blankets, toys, cleaning supplies, or grooming products—so donations are truly helpful. Often, they have an online wishlist with a shopping site, that can make it easy for people to donate. If you’re a pet retail store, you can offer a small discount or gift to anyone coming in who is specifically purchasing food to go in the bin in your store. - Foster-Based Rescues:
There are many rescues that do not have a physical location, but rely on fosters for their pets for adoption; they also need supplies regularly. Find out how you can coordinate a pet food/supply drive with rescues near you.
Can’t do a drive, but still want to help? Contact your local pet food pantry or animal shelter and ask if you can come and highlight what they do, their needs, in a short-form video, and share on your social media accounts. I hope this helps inspire you to help during this time of need and all year long, so our pets can stay in their homes and be fed.