Our pantry program was created to help keep Iowa families and their pets together by providing fresh, high-quality pet food to families experiencing financial hardship. No one should be forced to decide between caring for themselves and caring for their companion animals. Pets are family members and sometimes they’re the only family a person has.
No matter your current standing, hardship can strike at any time so we do not require any financial documentation of need. Our pantry provides food on a short-term, emergency basis to supplement your current dog and/or cat food.
A few other notes about the pantry:
1) We don’t use near expiring or expired food. We wouldn’t give our kids expired food, why would we want to give it to our pets?
2) We don’t use food from open or damaged bags. Open or damaged bags can carry illness due to exposure to things such as mites, mice, and other critters. The freshness of food can also deteriorate and become stale if exposed to air for extended periods of time.
3) We only uses one brand of high quality food to ensure consistency. We only use one brand of high quality food that is both AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) approved and meets WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) guidelines.
Please note, Safe Paws and the pantry program is not intended to be the sole provider of food for your pet.
If you are in need of pet food assistance, please read the guidelines and fill out an application. We will reach out as soon as the application has been processed.
In general, we provide one (1) 8lb bag of food per month for dogs and one (1) 3.5lb bag of dry food for cats per month. Size of bag may change based on how many animals are in the home.
A household may receive pet food once per month for all of their cats and/or dogs for two months in a calendar year. These months do not have to be consecutive.
Occasionally we will have specialty diet food, such as those tailored to sensitive skin and stomach, but we can’t guarantee availability.
Your generous donations enable us to offer high quality pet food to members of our community in need and helps prevent beloved pets from entering the shelters and death row due to food insecurity.
Online donations can be made by debit/credit card, PayPal, or Venmo. Please put in the notes of your donation that it’s for the pantry so we can make sure the donation goes to this specific program.
Bags of food can be purchased from any local or online retailer. If you’re wanting to purchase food directly, it MUST be Purino ONE dry dog or cat food.
Food can be sent to the address below or dropped of at the Ames, IA Pet Supplies Plus location.
Safe Paws
PO Box 548
Ogden, IA 50212
Purina ONE can be purchased at any major retailer or online.