Pet food donations needed for food bank

Once again, Green River Animal Control is hosting a pet food drive for the Green River Food Bank.

Animal control officer Kim Wilkins said, this is about the fourth year in a row they have hosted the pet food drive.

The goal is to help those out who are in need.

She said the pet food is taken to the city’s Food Bank where employees distribute it to families who are in need of pet food. Wilkins said sometimes when a family comes on hard times, they don’t have enough money to purchase pet food for their pets.

To make a hard situation even worse, is when some of those families have no choice, but to give the animal away.

“If it help them keep their pets until they get through the hard times, it’s worth it,” Wilkins said.

Over the years, this program has grown. Wilkins said she can’t recall how many pounds of food was raised the first year, but last year’s amount, 1,900 pounds, was the most the shelter had ever received.

“This entire office was (filled with) food, toys and other supplies,” Wilkins said.

What impressed Wilkins the most was what residents donated.

They not only donated cat and dog food, but rabbit, bird, fish and even turtle food. She said it’s not just for cats and dogs.

She was also impressed with the other items residents brought it that they never even asked for. Not only was food dropped off, but toys and brushes.

“It was amazing for the community to think of everything,” she said.

Wilkins knows this is something that is needed because she saw it first hand. Last year, when Wilkins and other animal control officers were dropping off the pet food to the food bank, food-bank patrons were already at the bank.

“People were waiting for us,” she said.

For them, pet food is as important as food for themselves, she said.

Residents who would like to donate can so do during the month of April.

Residents can drop off their pet f00d donations at the Green River Animal Shelter or at Joe’s Pet Depot in Rock Springs. Cash donations will not be accepted.