Effort started at onset of pandemic is now an official resource for Centre County pet owners
After opening its doors during the height of the pandemic to provide pet food to community members in need, Centre County PAWS saw the tremendous demand for pet food assistance in the area.
Two years later, the State College-based animal shelter has unveiled the official Virginia Walker Pet Pantry, which will continue to serve the community by providing people with a resource to obtain pet food free of charge.
At the grand opening of the pantry on Thursday, Lisa Bahr, executive director of PAWS, said the shed, located outside of the PAWS building on Trout Road, is helping the shelter expand the community-assistance operation by providing a storage space for the surplus of food.
“It’s important to us that we are a resource for the community, not just a place where people feel like they can drop cats and dogs when they are no longer able to care for them, but that they can turn to us whenever they need us,” Bahr said.
Those in need of pet food can stop by the shelter during its operating hours and take what they need. Starting Saturday, PAWS will return to its normal operating hours of 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend.
Bahr emphasized that while the shelter has begun keeping track of items being taken from the pantry — mainly to see what ZIP codes they are helping the most — there are no restrictions or requirements for servicing it.
She also said that the pantry isn’t just for pet owners, adding that many of the people who have utilized the unofficial pantry over the past two years have been people who care for groups of feral community cats.
“These are people who have taken it upon themselves to care for cats that quite literally no one has taken any interest in,” Bahr said. “We’re really grateful for that and our community should be too because they are keeping the population of these feral cats down.”
The pantry also assists PAWS fosters, who volunteer to temporarily care for the shelter’s dogs and cats as they await adoption.
“We have a wonderful core of fosters that take dogs and cats continually, but we are always looking for more fosters, we’re always looking to expand and be able to help more animals,” Mandy Lazenby, kennel manager, said.
The expansion of the pantry is reflective of the greater movement of animal shelters nationwide to support their communities and keep pets in homes they are loved, as opposed to just being a repository for animals, according to Bahr.
“It’s just a reality of life that at certain times, people might run into hardship and need assistance,” Bahr said. “If we have the means to help them and keep pets with owners who love them, we are absolutely going to do that.”
The food in the pantry is the result of community donations and partnerships, and should last about six months, according to Bahr. She said the shelter is continuing to accept donations for food and that cat food is their largest need currently. They are also taking monetary donations to supplement the cost of purchasing food.
While the public pet pantry houses dry cat and dog food, additional supplies such as cat litter, treats and collars are frequently available by request.
The shed was purchased by the Walker family to memorialize Virginia Walker. Her son, Larry Walker, a State College resident, described her as a lifelong pet lover who made animals an important part of their family.
“My mother-in-law loved animals, but she loved people and she loved this community, so this is really meaningful,” Karen Walker, wife of Larry Walker, said. “I think she would be really happy.”
To learn more about Centre County PAWS’ Virginia Walker Pet Pantry, visit the nonprofit shelter’s official website.
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
