La. Pet Food Bank struggles to meet demand of pet owners seeking help

GONZALES, La. (WAFB) - The Rescue Alliance not only rescues animals but also helps pet owners feed them.

According to the Louisiana Pet Food Bank, applications for help have doubled but donations have dropped.

Ticki Brogan loves her animals. Inflation and costs going up have had a tremendous impact on her affording pet food.

“They are the reason why my daughter is able to keep her babies,” said Brogan. “She has epilepsy and she has a dog that alerts us when she gets sick and the struggle to take care of them for her is real.”

Brogan relies on the Rescue Alliance for pet food but donations have slowed down, forcing the group to turn away people like her.

“The last thing we want is for somebody to have to struggle to not only feed themselves but then to have the stress of feeding themselves at the same time,” said Jonathan Hentiques with the Rescue Alliance.

The Louisiana Pet Food Bank usually keeps the food in storage. Hentiques said little to no food has been coming in, so the storage is now empty.

The organization is currently holding 190 pet food bank applications but is hoping to help those clients soon.

Donations can be dropped off at Petstar Animal Care, which is located at 38432 Airline Drive in Prairieville, and at PetSmart in Gonzales, located at 40451 Lowes Avenue, during regular business hours.

The Louisiana Pet Food Bank is kicking off its annual food drive to help it help families who are struggling to feed their pets during these hard times.

Rescue Alliance reports a 70% increase in the number of families using its Emergency Pet Food Bank since the end of January.

For more information or to donate money, visit the Rescue Alliance website.

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