Many animal welfare organizations receive donations of pet supplies they don’t need, and yet they must purchase items that other organizations may have in surplus. To help “spread the wealth” among these organizations, the Colorado Pet Pantry, in partnership with the Dumb Friends League, launched the Animal Welfare Share Program this spring.

The goal of the Animal Welfare Share Program is to help participating rescues and shelters save money on crucial supplies while increasing efficiency in the use of items donated by the community.

This partnership creates a centralized location for shelters in the Denver metro area to share donated resources like pet food, medical supplies (excluding prescription drugs), collars, leashes, pet beds, crates, and other pet-related items. Participating rescues and shelters can pick up items they need and drop off surplus items for other rescues to utilize.

Colorado Pet Pantry volunteers sort and inventory all items that are dropped off at their warehouse in Englewood, Colo. Rescues and shelters will have access to an inventory website so they can see what items are in stock before making the trip to the warehouse, which will be accessible to them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Animal welfare organizations that want to join the Animal Welfare Share Program can email share@coloradopetpantry.org.

The Colorado Pet Pantry is a pet food bank that temporarily feeds Colorado pets, allowing families to increase their ability to care for pets with the goal of keeping them out of shelters and with their families. The organization also facilitates the Animal Welfare Share Program to assist rescues and shelters in efficiently sharing surplus items, and the Emergency Pet Food Program to help families get pet food to cover the gap until the next pet food bank event.

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