AARCS pet food bank in desperate need of donations

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A local animal rescue agency is in desperate need of donations to help fill their barren shelves for their pet food bank and to assist families in feeding their furry family members.

Rachel Cote, director of programs at the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society, said there has been a “significant” increase in demand for the non-profits’ services since last year.

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“So, in January and February this year, we saw a 103 per cent increase in the number of requests,” she said.

And the month of March was no different for the AARCS team — they served almost 200 families and over 350 animals.

“Right now we are looking for monetary donations — we do have some partners where we can purchase food at bulk pricing — or donations of goods such as dog and cat kibble, wet food, canned food, litter, stuff like that,” Cote said.

Open bags of food as long as they are labelled and taped shut are also accepted.

“Toys, leashes, used litter boxes — as long as they’re in good shape and clean, we can absolutely take them.”

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The facility buzzed with activity as volunteers did laundry, cleaned kennels, and helped with the emotional and physical well-being of the pets in their care. Cote walked past kennels of dogs of all ages, breeds, and temperaments, as she explained that AARCS is a rescue agency that also does adoptions, foster homes, and facilitates community support programs such as their pet food bank.

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“We also have a spay and neuter program for our First Nations communities that we help with,” she added.

AARCS’ goal to keep pets in their homes

Cote believes the increase in pet care costs is one of the factors contributing to the demand for their services.

“I think the economy has a big thing to do with it; a lot of people are seeing increases in rent, they’re having a hard time, they’re making decisions between buying groceries for themselves and feeding their pets,” she said.

There are approximately 110 animals in care at the AARCS facility in Calgary alone.

“Overall, right now we have about 600 animals — so that’s between both of our facilities in Calgary and in Edmonton, and our foster homes across the province.”

At the end of the day, Cote said the goal of the organization is to keep families together, and to keep pets in their homes.

“Pets are really important to families, and just because somebody needs a little bit of help doesn’t make them a bad pet owner. I think that’s really important to know.

“It’s the pet food bank that we definitely need some help with; we have lots of empty spaces on our shelves that we need to fill so we can help continue to help some pets,” Cote said.

Donations to the AARCS pet food bank can be made online at aarcs.ca/donate or can be dropped off at 5060 74 Ave S.E.

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