EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — With a lot of animal shelters around Detroit at maximum capacity, shelters are doing what they can to keep people from abandoning or surrendering their pets.
Eastpointe Animal Control is helping residents keep their furry family members in their homes by opening the Feeding the Four Legged Friends Pet Pantry. The pantry was built back in November 2024 and has served over 300 families and their pets in the few months it has been open.
Willie Lewis and his pets, Stormy and Blue, are some of the clients at the pantry.
Lewis told me his dog, Blue, escaped from their house a couple months ago. While he was hoping to find his boy, he was ready to surrender the dog due to a difficult financial situation.
“We were kind of tight to feed the dogs so sometimes, we had to feed him our food," Lewis said.
But while Lewis was searching for his beloved pet, he met an animal control officer who informed him about the pet food pantry program. Now, Lewis is able to keep his furry family member in his home and make sure everyone in the family has a full belly when they go to bed.
“It’s been a blessing for me and my family, like weights lifted off my chest. Because now, I can provide for my family and my dog.” Lewis said.
Ashley Sanchez is the Eastpointe Animal Control officer Lewis met when looking for Blue. She explained to me that this food pantry has dramatically reduced the number of surrender requests the shelter receives, and it's all thanks to support from other organizations like:
- The Humane Society of Macomb
- A ReJoyceful Animal Rescue
- Detroit Pit Crew
- Michigan Humane
- Meijer
- private donations from residents in the area
“Something simple as providing a big bag of dog food that could save them $30 for a tank of gas or a little bit on their light bill or you know, food for their families. The goal is to help keep the family members together with their pets. So if we can help each other provide and collaborate, we can achieve the unachievable," Sanchez said.
If you would like to make a donation to the pet food pantry, you can drop off donations to the Eastpointe Animal Control building at 17850 10 Mile Road in Eastpointe.
If your family is in need of pet food, you can message the Eastpointe Animal Control Facebook page a picture of your ID and pets and they will arrange pick up information with you.
