By Payton Tholstrup
Images courtesy of CCARE and KCLY
When times get tough, feeding a furry family member can become an added challenge.
To help with this issue, Clay County Animal Rescue and Education Center (CCARE) created a pet pantry box in 2024 to hold free pet food owners for owners in the community that are experiencing financial hardship.
Located at the CCARE building (109 S 4th Street in Clay Center) the box is supported entirely by community donations. When items are available, it holds both dry and canned food for cats and dogs.
“The pet pantry is open to all community members but is only accessible by our staff. If someone would like to use our pet pantry, they simply come to CCARE and let us know what they need. If we have the items, we are more than willing to help,” said John Rieb Jr., Executive Director.
Donations for the pantry are always welcome. Simply bring the donated items to CCARE and the shelter will facilitate from there. Dry food and canned food for cats and dogs is always needed.
“We are open from 1:00 pm – 6 pm. If we are closed, the items can be left outside of our front door, and we will collect them when we open.”
The pantry is intended to be a supplemental, short-term resource for pet owners experiencing financial difficulty. It is not designed to provide ongoing food support.
While Rieb said CCARE has not noticed a recent increase in community members using the pet pantry, anyone who could use the assistance is welcome to inquire.
“Because it is all donated food, we do our best to share what we have among as many families as possible.”
