LANCASTER, Pa. — The Lancaster Center for Animal Life Saving collected over 800 pounds of food and secured 27 homes for animals in the shelter last weekend. Their Adoption & Flea Market Weekend encouraged donations from the community and support for the animals. The resources provided to the shelter aren't just for the cats and dogs being cared for.
Lexi Vollmer, Veterinary Technician at the Lancaster Center for Animal Life Saving, said their Spike’s Pet Pantry also provides food to owners going through hardships. The pantry allows anyone to pick up or drop off food that could contribute to the shelter and another family.
“Any donated brands of dry and wet dog and cat food are the things we use the most for spiked pet pantries and hand them out when people need some extra assistance for getting food for their pets,” said Vollmer.
With many people in the U.S. today facing an economic crisis, Vollmer said that many people can no longer afford the necessities to take care of their pets. The Spike’s Food Pantry is an outlet to help combat the rise of inflation and take care of animals outside the shelter.
“With the economy, prices have gone up with a lot of stuff so just making sure we have the bare necessities to properly care for all of our animals and have all the different foods that we need for them is important,” said Vollmer.
Vollmer said during the winter months, the shelter sees an influx of owners coming into the pantry to request food for their pets. She says because it’s colder and jobs seem to slow down, they want to be prepared to provide for the community facing difficult times.
“We want to make sure that we have a good wealth of donations available when it gets colder, oftentimes jobs might be slower in the winter times outside so those are the harder times for people typically. So we want to make sure we have an abundance of food available to help people as needed during the winter time,” said Vollmer.
The Lancaster Center for Animal Life Saving will continue to collect donations. The shelter request:
Food
Beds
Blankets
Toys
- Treats
And anything else to help enrich the life of an animal inside or outside the shelter. The items can be dropped off between 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. during the week.
Organizers say if someone is interested in making a monetary donation, they can visit our website at humanepa.org or mail in a check directly to the shelter (2195 Lincoln Hwy E, Lancaster).
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