Little by little, the bins begin to fill. People stop by select stores, veterinary clinics and boarding facilities across Loudoun County to drop off cat and dog food for the Loudoun Pet Pantry. Volunteers from the Humane Society of Loudoun County and the Loudoun County Animal Shelter collect the items, package them into kits, and deliver them to Loudoun Hunger Relief in Leesburg for families experiencing food insecurity.
One client collecting pet food in the Hunger Relief market shared that she has three dogs and a cat. “They are like my children,” she said. “Sometimes, I’ve bought food for them instead of for me. I’ve skipped eating some meals so they had food. Getting dog and cat food here helps me so much.”
When the partnership started in 2013, Juanita Easton of the Humane Society of Loudoun County estimated that they distributed enough food for about 2,000 animals. Today, the initiative serves nearly 6,000 animals, with almost 35,000 pounds of food delivered last year.
The food keeps many animals out of shelters, said Easton. “We don’t want someone to have to surrender their cat or dog because they can’t afford to feed them,” she said.
Clients may access the market once a week for what Easton describes as a “supplemental feeding process” providing food for three to five days. “We don’t provide continual food forever,” she said.
A Real Need
Even in Loudoun, which U.S. News & World Report named the nation’s wealthiest county again in 2024, hundreds of families are just a crisis away from being able to provide food for their families, said Jennifer Montgomery, CEO of Loudoun Hunger Relief.
“There is that feeling that hunger for pets and people is not really a thing in Loudoun, that everyone is doing so well,” Montgomery said. “But we have neighbors who definitely have needs, and you might be surprised by what that looks like in our community. These are families that go to school with your children, who are working with you or serving you in businesses. So if you have the ability to help and support families, then I would encourage you to do that.”
Each week, the pet food disappears from Hunger Relief’s shelves within days. “If a family is struggling to put food on the table, then they’re having to make hard choices about where they put their money, so pet food might be farther down the line if they need to feed their children too,” Montgomery said.
Those pets, said Montgomery, aren’t disposable. They often constitute an integral part of someone’s mental health and welfare.
“We know having pets is an important part of people’s lives,” she said. “If you’re a pet owner, you understand that it’s good for mental health and welfare.”
Last September, Hunger Relief cut the ribbon on a choice market that allows clients to shop for the food they need, and it includes an entire shelf for the Pet Pantry. Clients may select one kit each for dogs and cats.
“When you’re having to seek food assistance or come get help, particularly in Loudoun County, where hunger need is hidden, and sometimes it doesn’t feel great to have to ask for help, to have access to all those things in one place and the way it looks here, like a grocery store, destigmatizes that you’re here and getting help,” Montgomery said. “People appreciate it and appreciate getting it in one place where they’re already getting assistance. And it flies off the shelves.”
A Joint Effort
Easton’s been part of the Pet Pantry since it started, and she’s seen the need grow.
“I’ve been very proud of this program that is all volunteer and has three main organizations in the county working together to make it happen,” Easton said. “It’s very fulfilling, and I know it’s helping animals. It’s very gratifying for me.”
The groups also receive financial donations and buy food to supplement what is collected in the bins. “Over the years the donations have been really good—and the shelter got a grant recently,” Easton said. “We’ve been able to buy a lot of the food we supply. It would be great to have a sponsor like Giant Food, with pallets of food, but we don’t have a place to put it. We can only take in so much—our space is limited.”
Easton said the program has grown as the need has grown, but there are challenges. “Donations have dwindled as inflation has gone up, although sometimes someone buys a lot of food to put in,” she said. “We have a fund for the Pet Pantry, and we do our best to provide the need Hunger Relief has seen.”
Volunteers in the community, including youth volunteers, often organize food drives or fundraisers. “Monetary donations are always welcome,” Easton said. “Food prices are going up. I can’t believe how much pet food has gone up in the past few years. From one week to the next it’s going up. Our expenses have gone up, but we have a lot of support for the program.”
Hunger Relief reported to Easton that 40 percent of families who use their services request pet food. “We’re servicing about 500 families a month,” Easton said. “We are helping even though it’s just a little bit.”
She said they have no way of knowing how many pets they’ve helped remain with their families, but as long as the food keeps leaving the shelves, they’ll keep working to supply it.
“We consider pets a part of the family,” Easton said. “I can’t imagine what it would do to a family dynamic to give up a pet they love because they can’t afford to buy the food. Every little bit that we can help helps to keep that pet part of the family and helps the families of Loudoun County.”
Montgomery appreciates how the organizations work together to make an impact. “Being food insecure does not exist in a vacuum,” she said. “There are always lots of things that are related to that, whether that’s housing or transportation. As a food provider, I know we are going to be able to meet one aspect of someone’s needs. What I believe in strongly is community partnerships, so that we’re providing access to the other services that most certainly exist in communities everywhere, but you make it easier on the person who is in need of help. So if we can put things all in one place, provide really good referrals, or they can access a service here, that’s really important.”
She said this private-public partnership illustrates how much Loudoun residents care about their neighbors and pets and about keeping animals with their families. “I’m proud of our partnership,” Montgomery said, “and I’m proud to live in a community where people care about making sure people have what they need.”
If you’d like to be involved, find a list of donation sites here: https://www.loudoun.gov/3020/Pet-Pantry
If you’d like to donate online, find a list of needed items at https://www.chewy.com/g/humane-society-of-loudoun-county_b64088551#wish-list&wishlistsortby=DEFAULT
“We don’t want someone to have to surrender their cat or dog because they can’t afford to feed them." —Juanita Easton
"I’m proud to live in a community where people care about making sure people have what they need.” —Jennifer Montgomery