Hungry Bowl Pet Drive Nets 3,143 Pounds of Food

Letter to the Editor –

On behalf of the annual Hungry Bowl Pet Food Drive, I would like to this opportunity to thank members of our local community for donating to this year’s drive. I also want to thank the sites that served as drop off sites for donations. Those sites were: Mr. Wes Talon, Director, Douglas County Communications & Community Relations, Douglas County Courthouse, Dr. Justin Verner, Sweetwater Creek Animal Hospital, Dr. Rosemarie Russo, D.C., Douglasville Wellness & Chiropractic, Janice Thompson’s State Farm Agency and Westside Animal Emergency Clinic. I am also thankful to our local media for publicizing the event and for businesses that posted flyers. 

With your donations, this year we were able to donate 3,143 pounds of pet food to the Douglas County Animal Shelter, to the Douglas County Humane Society’s Pet Pantry, to Toni Mitchell with Feline Rescue, to Shannon Edinger with Helping Prevent Homeless Pets, Inc. and to Jonnie S. Craig with Bully Wag, Inc. All donated food will be fed to shelter and rescue animals in Douglas County. Since the beginning of the drive in 2008 we have collected more than 8,000 pounds of food for local shelter and rescue animals.

Due to the economy, donations to pet-related charities have decreased.  Budget cuts are being made to local agencies, there has been an increase in the number of animals being surrendered or abandoned due to home foreclosures and job losses and many local pet pantry shelves are bare.  Your donations were very much appreciated.

I would like to also acknowledge and give thanks to Pet Sitters International (PSI) for creating this international effort to help shelter and rescue pets. My mother and I are very happy to have helped to inspire PSI with the creation of the pet food drive. Because of PSI, thousands of shelter and rescue animals will be fed that otherwise may not have received a meal. 

Sincerely, Debra Y. Milton, Owner, Four Paws Pet-Sitting Service