Colorado Pet Pantry: The organization feeding pets in need is celebrating 10th anniversary

By Kelly Hayes June 3, 2023 | updated 3 years ago

“So often, we hear from clients that they were able to keep their pets because of the donations,” said founder Eileen Lambert

Looking for a way to help people struggling in her neighborhood care for their pets, Eileen Lambert created Colorado Pet Pantry as a small side project.

“It really started as an experiment,” Denver-based Lambert said.

Quickly, it turned into something more.

“I saw how successful it could be if we got more resources, more volunteers, more funds, more pet food and so it just gradually started,” she said. “This food, these supplies already exist in the world and they’re just sitting in people’s cabinets.”

Now, the Colorado Pet Pantry is celebrating its 10th anniversary, distributing pet food to those in need with 102 locations across Colorado.

“The idea just really took off,” Lambert said. “So often, we hear from clients that they were able to keep their pets because of the donations.”

In the last year, the pantry has reached 115,000 animals — serving almost $2 million worth of pet food to dogs and cats around the state.

The organization works with both pet food brands and local donors to get food and supplies for dogs and cats.

They often collect food deemed unsellable from factories of brands like Purina and Only Natural Pet in Colorado. While the food can’t be sold in stores because the bag might be ripped or it’s expiring, it’s still safe to eat for pets, Lambert said.

“The stores aren’t going to sell food that’s expiring, but there’s nothing wrong with this food. There’s no reason for it to go to the landfill,” she said. “So you’re saving food and supplies from the landfill and giving them a second life and saving lives while we’re doing that.”

It costs the organization $5 to feed a pet for a month, since all the food is donated, Lambert said.

“We don’t buy any of the food. The food is donated, but our costs are everything that is required in order to collect the food and then to the people who need it the most,” she said.

Volunteers pick up smaller batches of excess food throughout Colorado, Lambert said. But for bigger batches, the organization will rent a truck to hold the food, which is actually the nonprofit’s most costly expense.

“That’s where our largest expenses are, is around food, transportation and storage,” Lambert said. “Our expenses are picking it up and getting it sorted and stored until we have our food banks simply pick up all the food.”

To distribute the food, the nonprofit partners with local food banks.

“If you need help with human food, and you have a pet, you probably need help with pet food,” she said. “We don’t go it alone because to me it makes sense that we’re working with community organizations that are already developed. They’ve already developed other resources with the people who need our services.”

While the organization keeps pets full, it also keeps people fed, Lambert said. Often when people can’t afford pet food, they’ll resort to feeding them human food, which leaves less for everyone.

“A lot of times people are serving human food to their pets as they can’t afford to buy pet food,” Lambert said. “So, we want to help basically everybody have enough food, so that the human food is not going to the animals and so that pets can eat well as well.”

When people don’t have to worry about the extra cost of pet food, they can focus their funds on other essentials.

“You can’t buy pet food with food stamps,” Lambert said. “Getting some help with pet food will give you the ability to use your funds for utilities, which are skyrocketing, and rents and groceries and the other things that you need in order to get your feet back on the ground.”

It also keeps spirits high. The last thing you want to do while struggling is to have to rehome your pet, Lambert said.

“People tell us that not only have we saved their pets, but we’ve saved the people as well, especially people going through a hard time — keeping their pets is really, really important. It’s a member of their family,” she said.

The Colorado Pet Pantry also collects supplies like collars, leashes, toys, beds and food bowls.

If there’s extra space in the truck to fit some supplies, they’ll pack them in for the distribution centers. But most of the supplies are used for the nonprofit’s Animal Welfare Share Program, which invites local rescues to shop the donations for free out of the pantry’s Denver warehouse. On average, it costs shelters $500 to rehome a pet, Lambert said.

“It just gives them a way to not have to spend their sparse funds on these items,” Lambert said. “They can use their funds towards vet care and actually rehoming these animals rather than having to go buy these things that already exist and just haven’t been collected.”

Donation bins for food and pet supplies are stationed around the state, in pet stores and other locations, Lambert said, with a complete list of ways to give on the group’s website at coloradopetpantry.org.

The organization is looking for more volunteers to help distribute food, Lambert said.

“It’s really easy for people to participate and give back,” Lambert said. “We always need volunteers, and our food banks are run by volunteers. So the more volunteers we have, the more we can do.”

Ultimately, Lambert hopes the organization keeps pets out of overcrowded shelters and in their homes, where they’re loved. Especially at a time when animal shelters are at their max.

“If we can stop some animals that don’t need to go into the shelter from going, that would be a win, just that way the shelters can really keep their kennels for truly homeless pets,” she said. “We always talk about it being a win-win-win. It’s a win for the people. It’s a win for the pets, and it’s a win for the shelters.”

Boudicca, a mastiff mix, waits in line for free dog food during a recent stop of the Colorado Pet Pantry at Westside Cares in Colorado Springs.

photos by Jerilee Bennett, The denver Gazette

Manny Arizala, project manager, and Francine Jampetero, volunteer, for Colorado Pet Pantry organize pet food to give away during a stop at Westside Cares in Colorado Springs on May 24.

Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette

A volunteer carries a bag of free dog food for a pet owner during a stop of the Colorado Pet Pantry at Westside Cares in Colorado Springs on May 24.

jerilee bennet, the denver gazette

The Colorado Pet Pantry travels to 102 locations across Colorado to bring free pet food to pet owners in need. A truck of food made a stop of the Colorado Pet Pantry at Westside Cares in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)