Since 2008, the Carroll County Humane Society’s Empty Pet Bowls program has been supporting local families in need of pet supplies.
For over 50 years, the Carroll County Humane Society has been a lifeline for local families in need, and its Empty Pet Bowls program has been providing crucial support for pet owners facing financial challenges for the past 16 years.
EPB helps families by providing free food and cat litter to pet owners who are receiving state or federal aid, and whose household income is less than $30,000 annually. The program allows pet owners to pick up food on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from noon until 2 p.m. at the humane society’s headquarters.
“Because we have so many people seeking assistance, we limit the program to 150 families and maintain a waiting list. Once enrolled, clients can pick up food once a month. After twelve pick-ups, they “age out” and must wait six months before reapplying,” said CCHS president Teresa Leslie.
The need for EPB is growing, and costs of living increases means the number of pets being surrendered to shelters is increasing. “Every animal we can continue to feed is an animal whose owner doesn’t have to make the hard choice to surrender the animal for its own health and safety,” said Leslie.
EPB accepts all donations of any brand to be donated for families. “EPB is our most expensive program. We are feeding over 500 dogs and cats each month. We rely on donations of food and of money to buy food. We truly appreciate donations from the public,” said Leslie.
Carroll County Humane Society and by extension Empty Pet Bowls are always looking for volunteers and donations as well as help from local groups or businesses, with Teresa Leslie saying, “We would love to have local groups or businesses do pet food drives to collect donations on behalf of Empty Pet Bowls. It’s a great project for a school group, civic club, or church, for example. We have had several young people ask for pet food donations in lieu of presents at their birthday parties and then drop off the donations at our headquarters.”
Donations can be made at the CCHS headquarters from noon until 3 p.m. on Tuesday through Friday and on the second and fourth Saturday from noon until 2 p.m.
The next event for Empty Pet Bowls will be an adoption event at Horton’s Bookstore from noon to 2 p.m. at 410 Adamson Square in Carrollton.
When people donate to Empty Pet Bowls, 100% of their donations go to buying food or litter. Both the CCHS and EPS are always in need of volunteers and donations for more information contact Dr. Leslie at ethanleslie@carrollcountyhumane.org.
