Thanks Community! Pet Food Drive Gathers 3,817 Pounds

Letter to the Editor –

I would like to this opportunity to thank members of our local community for donating to the 2013 Hungry Bowl Pet Food Drive. I want to thank the sites that served as drop off sites for donations (Douglas County Courthouse, Sweetwater Creek Animal Hospital, Douglasville Wellness & Chiropractic, Janice Thompson’s State Farm Agency, Westside Animal Emergency Clinic, Woodie Fite Senior Center, Highway 5 Animal Hospital and The Curiosity Shoppe). I am also thankful to our local media for publicizing the event and for businesses that posted flyers.

With your donations, we were able to donate 3,817 pounds of pet food to the Douglas County Animal Shelter, 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 over 12,000 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 are very much appreciated.

The annual food drive is dedicated to the memory of Mae West (former director of the Douglas County Animal Shelter and former president of the Douglas County Humane Society). 

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 Hungry Bowl Pet Food Drive.  Because of PSI and its members, thousands of shelter and rescue animals will be fed that otherwise may not have received a meal.