Colorado Pet Pantry opened its doors 11 years ago with a dream to help keep pets with their families by offering pet food to families in need. The nonprofit is hosting an auction full of experiences to keep doing its good work.
Colorado Pet Pantry has 103 locations across the state including one in Longmont. The noprofit works with other organizations to share pet food. In Longmont, that organization is the OUR Center. On the third Tuesday of every month, Colorado Pet Pantry visits the OUR Center to distribute pet food.
“We are supplemental only. It is not going to cover all of their food needs but it does help,” said Eileen Lamber, founder and executive director of Colorado Pet Pantry.
In 2023, the nonprofit distributed over 9 million meals to pets across the state, helping over 45,000 people feed their pets with at least one month’s worth of food, Lambert said.
The online auction holds around 100 experiences for people to bid on, Lambert said. The auction ends on Sunday.
Items for bid include the sponsorship of a family or pet, a Brekenridge Mountain Escape, tickets to the Colorado Symphony and more.
The proceeds of the auction go toward the operations of the organization. Staff work to find pet food that is returned to the store, dropped off at donation locations or rescued from pet food stores.
The cost of pet food has risen over 40% in the past four years, Lambert said. Through the Colorado Pet Pantry and its connections, it costs roughly $5 to provide a 30-day supply of food for a pet.
“The cost of pet food and the cost of feeding your animals is getting more expensive, so we want to help people if they are struggling to feed their pets,” Lambert said.
