Between 500 and 600 dogs and cats received free food Saturday morning at a drive-through pet pantry stocked with bags of dog kibble and cat crunchies on the Southwestern College campus in Chula Vista.
Primarily organized by non-profit organization A Favor for Freddie and local pet spa Reasons to Wag, the Chula Vista Police Department was also on hand to guide dogs and their drivers in the right direction.
A Favor for Freddie Associate Director Jyl Kaneshiro said the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility also sent out many of their volunteers to help with the event.
The volunteers asked human and canine passengers to remain in cars, and placed food directly into car trunks and truck beds so attendees could safely benefit from the event without coming in contact with anyone.
Approximately 800 bags of dog food and 200 bags of cat food were available for distribution and everybody who showed up received food for their pet.
According to Jyl Kaneshiro, some of the food was donated directly to A Favor for Freddie; the remainder was purchased with financial contributions to the non-profit.
“We really wanted to do this event because there are so many people out there in need right now and too often, in times of need, one of the first things people give up is their pets. We know first-hand that pet food can be expensive and wanted to help people keep their loved ones,” Jyl Kaneshiro said.
A Favor for Freddie Executive Director and Reasons to Wag store owner Janelle Kaneshiro said in an email: “More so now than ever, people are realizing pets are a source of comfort, love and stress reduction,” said Executive Director Janelle Kaneshiro. “We want to make sure that their best friends will be taken care of.”
In a phone call, Jyl Kaneshiro said the initial reaction from most people is disbelief that someone is able to give them pet food if needed.
“We definitely had some cars go through where people told us they didn’t believe it was happening, a lot told us how grateful they are. I don’t think people believed at first that we were giving away food with no stipulations. If you need it, we trust you need it,” Jyl Kaneshiro said.
Jyl Kaneshiro said the best part of the event was seeing so many happy dogs come through the event.
“We got a lot of dogs there driving through in the passenger seat and you could see they were part of the family and they meant as much to them as a child would. It was good to see so many pets are so loved. We’re happy to make sure they have enough food.”
