Local officials and animal welfare advocates gathered at the Pauls Valley Dog Park Sept. 11 to dedicate a new community resource built around the goal of keeping pets with their families.
The Pets and People Pantry is a self-serve pantry box typically stocked with pet food, toiletries and shelf stable grocery items. Available 24 hours, 7 days a week, the pantry is designed to provide a boost to families who may need a little help making ends meet.
“No one should have to choose between buying pet food or feeding their family. No family should have to decide between hygiene necessities and feeding their dog or cat,” Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Supervisor Christopher Hurley said. “Sometimes a little help at the right moment is all it takes to prevent a beloved pet from entering a shelter. That’s what this pantry is about. Helping people. Helping pets. Keeping families whole.” The pantry was made possible by a donation from Cheryl and Kelly Flowers in honor of their two dogs, Lula and Ruger, whose photos are featured on the side of the pantry box.
Strategically located at the dog park and adjacent to the Samaritans Food Pantry, the Pets and People Pantry box is the second such box for Pauls Valley. The first, also funded with a memorial donation from the Flowers in honor of Cheryl’s mother, is located at the Pauls Valley Animal Shelter.
Hurley said the boxes enable community members to take what they need or leave what they can, all in the interest of keeping pets with families who love them.
Cheryl Flowers said she would love to see the pantry boxes continue to spread throughout the community, a prospect Hurley said the Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Society will continue to pursue as opportunities arise.
Hurley said, “We’ll keep putting these across the county as the opportunity presents itself.”
