The San Diego Humane Society’s pet food pantry serves hundreds of people every day, and staff say demand is increasing while donations are declining.
“We desperately need something,” said Erik Gonzalez, community resources coordinator. “We haven’t had enough supplies for about a month.”
Gonzalez said the pantries have been giving out smaller portions to serve as many people as possible. They are distributing bags of dog food and cat food – and other supplies when they are available – at their campuses in San Diego, El Cajon, Escondido and Oceanside.
Spring Valley resident Jesus Altamirano has been collecting pet food from the San Diego food pantry for two years. Last Tuesday, he left the pantry with a toy and food for his dachshund mix, Chloe.
“They help a lot,” Altamirano said.
This help is especially important as local animal shelters continue to be full. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society, said their shelters are typically most crowded during the summer.
“This year was different because we were at capacity the whole time – winter, fall, spring and now summer,” he said. “Across all of our campuses, we care for about 2,000 animals, the highest number of dogs we’ve ever had in our 144 years of operation.”
Weitzman said fewer people are reclaiming lost dogs that are brought to the animal welfare organization’s campuses.
“I’m really scratching my head. What has changed that they don’t come here to look for their lost family member?” he asked.
Industry website OneVet surveyed more than 1,000 dog owners in June 2023. They found that one in six people had given up a dog in the past year. Almost a third of them said they could not afford dog food or veterinary care.
Weitzman said the pet food distribution is one way the Humane Society tries to keep animals with their owners.
“We spend so much time bringing pets into new people’s homes,” he said. “We want those pets, once they’re there, to be able to stay there forever.”
The San Diego Humane Society Animal Pantries are open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Donations can be brought to the pantries or via your online wish list.
