DES MOINES, Iowa — The Animal Rescue League of Iowa and the Des Moines Area Religious Council partnered to help spread 65,000 pounds of pet food to the community on Saturday.

Held at DMARC, cars drove through on Saturday morning and received a case of dog food, which can feed a dog for around a month. The ten pallets, which contained around 65,000 meals, were donated by The Farmer’s Dog.

“The need for pet food is increasing every day, it’s sad, we are seeing people come to the shelter every day because they aren’t able to afford their pets anymore. So doing things like this just help keep people and their pets together and pets in the homes of the people that they love,” said Abigail Youker, ARL Pet Support Services Coordinator.

The DMARC Food Pantry and ARL of Iowa partnered in 2023 to help spread supplies across food pantries more efficiently. The ARL of Iowa says the partnership has helped spread 40,000 pounds of pet food this year alone.

“When you visit a DMARC food pantry, we try and make the shopping experience feel as if you were visiting any other grocery store,” said Matt Unger, DMARC CEO. “The key to that is making sure all the pantry basics, including items like pet food, are available to the households that need them. We are so thankful for this partnership with the ARL and invite the community to join us in providing support to our four-legged friends and neighbors.” 

Those unable to attend Saturday’s giveaway are still able to visit DMARC Food Pantry locations for help with pet food and other items.