Don't Forget To Feed Me helps keep pets and their families together in tough times

 

Pets are part of the family, but with the recent economic downturn, more and more pet owners are being forced to turn the four-legged members of their family over to shelters and rescue groups.  But that may change soon thanks to the dedicated efforts of the caring folks at Don't Forget to Feed Me.  

“Don’t Forget to Feed Me” is the brainchild of Terry Woodfin of the Amon Carter Foundation and Channel 8 program director Kim Pearson.  About a year ago, Terry wrote a letter to the Star-Telegram expressing her concern about the lack of a pet food bank in the Metroplex.  That letter caught the attention of Bo Soderbergh, the Executive Director of the Tarrant Area Food Bank.  Twelve months later, Terry and Kim, with assistance from the Tarrant Area Food Bank have collected over 100,000 pounds of donated food and $ 16,000 in cash donations.  Petco and Russell Feed have help raise money and collect food donations, and Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets provided the $ 1,000 seed money that kicked off Don’t  Forget To Feed Me’s inaugural Valentine Pet Food Drive in 2009.

By taking advantage of the Tarrant Area Food Bank’s 13-county distribution system, Don't Forget To Feed Me is able to reach out to pet owners via food pantries in Alvarado, Arlington, Azle, Bedford, Boyd, Burleson, Cleburn, Crowley, Decatur, Denton, Edgecliff Village, Euless, Forest Hills, Fort Worth, Grandbury, Haltom City, Itasca, Keene, Keller, Mansfield, Mineral Wells, Myra, N. Richland Hills, Newark, Richland Hills, River Oaks, Watauga, and Weatherford.  Lockheed, Alcon, State Farm, Pepsi, Sundance Square, EECU, All Saints Episcopal School, Medlin Middle School, and Christ Chapel Church are just a few of the companies that have held pet food drives to collect food for Don’t Forget To Feed Me, and several Tarrant County libraries host permanent donations boxes.

Don’t Forget To Feed Me will host their first ever public fundraising event on May 15th in Trinity Park.  Slated as a pet-friendly old fashioned ice cream social (ice cream for pets & humans of course), with fabulous raffle items, pet photographer Nancy Degenkolb, and adoptable pets from the Humane Society of North Texas.

Details on that event will be available soon.  In the meantime, you can help support Don't Forget To Feed Me, and help keep pets with their families where they belong, by donating online or by dropping off food at any of these participating locations.

       For more info: A complete list of Don't Forget To Feed Me food pantry partners is available to help if you need food for yourself and your pets is available on the DFTFM website.  .