We are awarding a total of $500,000 in grant funding to three of our food bank partners including Food Bank for NYC, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and Farm Share, located in Miami. This will provide approximately two million pet food meals to pet owners who have been impacted by COVID-19.

“Collaborating with regional food banks in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, the ASPCA provided nearly two million meals for vulnerable pets, and we are proud to award grant funding for another two million meals to help keep dogs and cats safe and healthy,” said ASPCA President & CEO Matt Bershadker. “With the COVID-19 pandemic making even basic pet care challenging for many people, it’s critical for animal welfare organizations and local agencies to work together to ease that burden and keep these cherished animals at home with the families who love and rely on them.”

Starting in December 2017, the ASPCA began partnering with Food Bank for NYC to distribute pet food to food bank partner pantries. Since then, we have served over 1.2 million pet food meals in New York City. In March 2019, we expanded to Los Angeles through a partnership with Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, serving over 541,000 pet food meals to date. We will also be celebrating our one-year anniversary of our partnership with Farm Share in Miami, where more than 73,000 dog and cat food meals have been distributed. In total, the ASPCA has provided nearly $700,000 in grant funding to our food bank partners since 2017.

Earlier this year, we launched our COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Initiative to address the most urgent needs of pet owners and animal shelters across the country, helping to keep animals safe and healthy. As part of our response effort, we opened regional pet food distribution centers in several cities to provide more than 1,900 tons of emergency food for dogs, cats and horses to struggling owners. By providing access to free pet food, supplies, veterinary care, emergency boarding and information, we’ve helped more than 320,000 dogs, cats and horses across the country through our COVID-19 Relief & Recovery Initiative.