Anne Hurst founded York Pet Food Bank on January 9, 2023
A woman who set up a pet food bank in York a year ago said demand for her service was growing as the cost of living crisis deepened.
Anne Hurst founded York Pet Food Bank in January 2023 to “help keep animals with their families.”
She stores food donations in her garage for people struggling with rising prices.
“Even if we can prevent just one pet from being abandoned or surrendered, it's worth the effort,” she said.
Hurst, who worked in animal rescue for 30 years before founding the food bank, said: “I decided to start this because I saw terrible stories of people abandoning their pets and their pets going to rescues.” added.
Mr. Hearst stores the donations in his garage.
She told BBC Radio York: “I've always thought, 'What about a pet food bank in York?' I always thought it would never happen.”
“So we did a little research and found that they were being set up in high deprivation areas across the UK where people were struggling to feed their pets.”
Ms Hurst said the project was going from strength to strength with donation reception points set up in Acomb, Woodthorpe, Huntington and Naburn.
More collection points have been added this winter, including some pet stores and kennels.
“When I started it, I didn't have a single can of cat or dog food,” Hurst said.
“Since then, I have pretty much continued to donate, and we have never run out of donations or had to temporarily close.”
The plan currently includes several drop-off points across the city.
The local community is also supporting the project, she said.
“The amount of support has been amazing and we are really grateful to everyone who has donated, including every tin and pack of cat and dog food,” she said.
“Demand has increased in recent months, especially with the onset of the cost of living crisis,” Hurst said.
“Over the past few months, we have been receiving more and more inquiries from local human food banks asking if they can supply pet food.”
She said it was “sad” that pet food banks were needed, adding: “Unfortunately this is a sign of the times and the potential for pets to be forgotten because they can't speak for themselves. There is,” he added.
