OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A local pet store and its customers collected 10 tons of dog food to send to Oklahoma Pet Food Pantries to help people and their pets.
Heavy labor was going on at the A1 Pet Emporium in the city's northwest on Wednesday morning.
Employees and volunteers donated five pallets to Oklahoma pet food pantries for both pets and people who really need it.
“It's really rewarding,” said Trisha Clark, owner of A1 Pet Emporium.
Clark said their businesses, vendors and customers helped collect 10 tons of dog food over the holiday period, including boxes filled with pet supplements, canned food and treats.
“We take the product, especially the dry food, we mix it up, and then we pack it into little bags, about 10 pound bags, and we take it to each home,” said Candice Beatty, executive director of the pantry.
It was all thrown into a truck headed to a pet food pantry in Oklahoma.
They deliver products to low-income seniors, veterans, the homeless, and people with disabilities who have pets. We also bring them to the parking lot and hand them out.
“Often these people and their pets are their only companions,” Clark said. “Often they give up their own food to feed the animals.”
Clark said her business and the pet food pantry started at the same time more than 10 years ago.
“We recognize the need for people who really need help,” Clark said.
It became a partnership and has positively impacted the lives of many people over the same period of time.
“Just getting a call from a client made me realize how touching it was that I was thinking of them,” Beatty said. “I mean, just hearing on the voicemail the tears that were on their faces and how special it was.”
A1 Pet Emporium also donates to the St. Francis Animal Resource Center in Norman. Some of the donated food also went there.
If you would like to donate to the Oklahoma Pet Food Pantry, please visit their website.
If you would like to donate to the St. Francis Animal Resource Center, please visit their website.
