‘Difficult decision.’ Pet food bank in Tacoma to close soon despite increased demand

After nearly 13 years in operation, the Puget Sound Pet Food Bank will be closing its busy Tacoma location at the end of the month, despite more people relying on its services than ever before.

Bagging dog food inside an unassuming red house near 6th Avenue on Wednesday, food bank president DeeDee Howe said the nonprofit would be closing its 608 S. Washington St. location on Dec. 28 because donations haven’t kept up with community demand for free pet food and supplies.

The Puget Sound Pet Food Bank’s Tacoma location is open on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, in addition to Mondays from noon to 3 p.m. The nonprofit also operates a location in Spanaway at 21006 Mountain Highway E., which will remain open on the third Saturday of every month.

Howe’s mother, Marge Meyer, started the food bank more than a decade ago at age 84 after volunteering at a food bank and seeing the need from clients who had pets. The Puget Sound Pet Food Bank offers dry and wet food for dogs and cats, in addition to other donated items like toys, collars, leashes, crates and supplements. Howe said they also have items for small pets like gerbils, guinea pigs and birds.

This year the Puget Sound Pet Food Bank served about 270 families every month, including more than 800 pets, the most demand it’s ever seen, Howe said. In addition, the nonprofit provides pet food to temporary emergency-shelter villages, senior centers and other food banks in the area.

“I’ve had pets all my life. My pets are my kids — they’re a huge part of the family. And that’s true of a lot of people, especially seniors, the homeless, our veterans. For a lot of them, that’s what keeps them going,” Howe said. “The idea of them not having enough food or supplies to be able to keep them, that’s not acceptable to us.”

The Puget Sound Pet Food Bank relies on its annual fundraiser and donations to keep operating. Howe said she’s been supporting their work with her own money to keep it going, but it’s not enough.

“For the longest time it worked, but unfortunately, with the price of everything else, pet food has gone up significantly, and more and more people are struggling to be able to feed their pets,” Howe said. “And that’s compounded by the fact that all the shelters and rescues are full even if they had to make the decision to surrender their pets.”

The Puget Sound Pet Food Bank will be looking for a new larger location near Tacoma, possibly in Lakewood, that’s more affordable, she said.

In the meantime, the food bank will be open Saturday, Dec. 16, Dec. 23 and Dec. 28 in the Tacoma location in addition to Dec. 21 at the Spanaway location. The nonprofit is accepting donations in person and online.

Increased need, fewer donations

The Puget Sound Pet Food Bank isn’t the only organization feeling the demand for pet food and supplies. The Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society told The News Tribune on Tuesday it’s seen an increased demand in its pet food and supply pantry, which is open noon to 4 p.m. every Saturday and Wednesday.

In 2023, the humane society distributed nearly 90,000 pounds of pet food to over 7,000 pets in need, said marketing and communications director Lauren Green.

“Since May 2024, the shelter [has] distributed over 10,000 pounds of pet food each month — putting us on track to surpass 100,000 pounds of pet food distributed by the end of this year,” Green said in an email. “This steady increased demand for pet food and supplies emphasizes how the rising cost of living is impacting pet owners’ ability to provide for their beloved companions.”

Last month the humane society issued a notice that it would be waiving all dog adoption fees Nov. 14-17 because of an “overcrowding crisis” that left the shelter caring for nearly 130 dogs on site, in addition to 70 in foster homes. Dog intakes increased this year, with 400 more dogs in the shelter than this time last year, according to the news release.

The pet food donation shortage mirrors a trend Pierce County food banks have been seeing: record numbers of people seeking help and donations not keeping up with need.

Howe said they have folks come to the Puget Sound Pet Food Bank from all over, including Federal Way and Lakewood. A lot of its clients have come to them for a while and often bring photos of their pets, she said. The food bank asks questions about pet allergies, food sensitivities and pets’ medical conditions, “so we get to know them,” Howe said.

“We’re struggling with the idea that these folks may not have another resource to be able to tap into to get their food,” Howe said. “It’s a very difficult decision to make. It’s a very humbling experience to have to say, ‘I need help. I can’t feed my pet.’ And for a lot of them, they would give up feeding themselves so that they can feed their pets.”