The Dr. John P. Ruffing VMD Pet Food Pantry was established to support pet and cat colony caretakers in Allegheny County. We know that relationships with pets are important to our welfare. We also know that the caretakers of cat colonies perform vital community and public health services.
The pantry is housed on the Northside.
We currently serve 150 caretakers directly registered, We also partner with 10 mutual-aid food distros to provide food on a monthly basis to 100 individuals. And we now work with street outreach programs to serve another 50 individuals. If your organization would like to work with us, please email folx@pghlgbtq.org Please note we limit this to organizations providing direct food support.
After registering, caretakers will be added to our Google Group email list and added to a delivery route when possible. Routes are determined by available delivery volunteers. Anyone outside of a route will be added to a list – we ship in August and February if resources allow. We continue to recruit volunteer drivers.
There are no pick-up options. New caretakers must be with the project for six months to be eligible to volunteer. Routes are typically 10-30 caretakers. Caretakers will provide their address and identify the best spot for the driver to leave food. This is no-contact and we cannot always specify a day/time. Volunteers can enter foyers and lobbies, but otherwise cannot go into buildings. If there is evidence of a dog in a fenced in yard, the driver will leave the food at the gate. There are no exceptions for new caretakers.
If you do not have a safe space for a drop-off, you can use the address of a family member, friend, or neighbor.
Pet owners typically received 5 pounds of dry food and 5 cans of wet food.
Colony caretakes receive 10 pounds of dry food and 10 cans of wet food.
Individuals accessing support through mutual-aid distros will received 3.5 pounds of dry food.
We do not deliver canned food from May – Sept
This is intended to be a supplement to other food sources. We encourage you to register with Animal Friends, Humane Animal Rescue, and Paws Across Pittsburgh for other food supports. Another benefit to being active in our discussion group is that some folx drive to those pantries and may offer a ride or offer to pick up a delivery. That’s the community support we need.
Our registration form is thorough, but we do not require proof of income or other items. We do require animals to be spayed/neutered and current on vaccines. If you need support with those steps, we can give you resources. We may request proof.
The pantry is supported entirely by donations.
A few important notes
- Caretakers and volunteers should treat each other with respect and courtesy, especially when trying to sort out a mistake
- Breeders are not permitted to enroll. Caretakers who permit their pets to breed will be removed from the program.
- Anyone engaged in unlawful behavior such as dog fighting will be permanently banned.
- Pet owners agree not to adopt new animals
- While we welcome feedback, it is not appropriate to post defamatory or insulting content on social media.
- You cannot sell food or other items. This is ground for removal
We do not go looking for information on our caretakers. But algorythmis tend to bring things to our attention.
This is very important
We are an email based project. You must check your email regularly. You must subscribe to our email list. You must check your spam folders. You may not contact us via social media, text, or phone. Email creates a paper trail that can cut down on miscommunication. If your data plan is limited, you can check the email list via a web browser. You can also designate someone else to subscribe to the email list such as a family member or friend.
Email is how we will offer extra things – shelters, heated water dishes, Pirates tickets, etc.