We're feeding
Community Pet Food Outreach
We distribute over 8.500 pounds (Jan 2026) of pet food each month. This community outreach program is growing rapidly as we work to move the needle on this basic need.
It is more than a bag of dog or cat food. Providing pet food helps animals in obvious ways but there is more to the story. Food insecure people will feed their pets before themselves, many times giving their pet their own food. So often a pet is the main source of companionship for people facing challenges. The emotional support pets provide is essential for many of the elderly facing isolation. Many housing insecure people will chose their pet over shelter. We have learned that helping pets builds trust so that other forms of assistance may be accepted.
WAHJF has been actively building relationships with animal welfare organizations in the greater Richmond area. As we listen and learn, we find more ways that help is needed.
Furbish Thrift Pet Food Pantry – Furbish Thrift hosts and maintains a freely accessible pet food pantry at our store location stocked with dog and cat food. We currently distribute about 200 pounds of pet food each business day through the store pantry. Those in need can help themselves and those with resources to share can donate food. These community pantries are a highly successful way to support and engage the community. We purchase food in bulk and accept larger donations from manufacturers and retailers, process and redistribute them.
Our first satellite pet food pantry located at Senior Connections on Semmes Avenue
The cost for this program is maintaining the retail and storage space, food purchases to supplement community donations and marketing to raise awareness and participation. Volunteers provide the labor.
In the community, we regularly distribute 5000 pounds of pet food through 12 neighborhood pantries and food distribution programs each month and provide assistance in response to requests. We host larger distributions of pet food to low income, food insecure and unsheltered pet owners in collaboration with our community partners.
We spread the word about this free resource through our network of community partners including animal welfare organizations, organizations serving the food insecure and unsheltered, and social media.
The Future