Paws N Claws is excited to announce the Pet Food Pantry has been purchased and is coming soon to the community. Even more great news, the cabinet has been sponsored by some outstanding citizens and several others have already started dropping off pet food at the Eufaula Indian Journal to fill the pantry.
By the first week of August, volunteers will be setting up the Paws N Claws Pet Pantry at the Eufaula Indian Journal, located at 100 2nd St., just west of the Mc-Intosh County Courthouse. It will officially open Monday, Aug. 5. The pantry plans to be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. for those in need.
“We want to do our best to keep the pantry in good shape and in good standings within the community,” La-Donna Rhodes said. “So we decided to put the pantry at the Eufaula Indian Journal instead of the Eufaula Fire Department so my coworkers can help monitor it and make sure everything is taken care of and not taken advantage of,” Rhodes said.
The local pet pantry will have small bags of dog and cat food along with helpful information for those in the county who are struggling to feed their animals.
“We know it will take the whole community helping us to keep it up and running with donations and food. The need is so great in our area, but Lori and I are committed to our cause and have been blessed with the response of concerned citizens reaching out to help us.
“After we hosted our first pet food giveaway in April, we also saw the need to have more resources in the county. So many people are desperately trying to make ends meet each week, not to mention each month. With the cost of living getting higher and higher, there just isn’t enough money at the end of each paycheck. Families are struggling. Businesses are struggling. Shelters are struggling. That’s why we wanted to help start this community project to help ease the burden that so many less fortunate are dealing with on a daily basis.”
A recent survey from American Pet Products National Pet Owner stated 70 percent of households in the U.S. own a pet. There’s an estimated 86.9 million pets in the U.S. and there’s an overpopulation of unwanted animals that is growing daily.
According to The Humane Society, approximately 6.3 million animals enter U.S. animal shelters every year and about 920,000 are euthanized. However, approximately 4.1 million are adopted each year.
“My Paws N Claws partner, Lori Powell-Fells, saw that there was a need to help our local pound to find homes for the pups they picked up. Because it’s a pound instead of a shelter, dogs are only given 10 days before they are euthanized. But since taking on this task in January, no animals made available for adoption have been put down and we hope to keep it that way. However, it’s a full-time commitment and we both have fulltime jobs. Nevertheless, we are pushing forward with all that we’ve got. Sadly, we get calls, texts, or messages every day from people needing help with food or with finding an abandoned stray a new home. Some even call to report abuse. This is on top of the pups we save at the pound. So we are in desperate need of volunteers to join our rescue and more citizens to help support our cause. We have even recruited our husbands to help out.
“People would be shocked at the number of animals abandoned, abused and neglected in our county. It’s sickening, but we are trying to bring awareness and make a difference where we live. It’s an uphill climb with no animal control in our county but we won’t stop helping and being the voice for these poor animals that deserve a better life. We hope this pet food pantry will just be the start of many more things to come.”
Anyone interested in volunteering, donating or sponsoring a pound pup can call LaDonna Rhodes at 479-422-4210 or Lori Powell-Fells at 918-6183810.
To report animal abuse or abandonment contact the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Department at 918-6892526.
