A temporary shortage of pet food should not have to become a permanent separation between a pet and the person who loves them.
SPCA Wake’s Pet Food Assistance program provides free pet food and supplies to people facing financial hardship, helps homebound seniors care for their pets through community partnerships, and shares resources with shelters and organizations across North Carolina.
By helping meet a pet’s basic needs, we can keep families together, prevent unnecessary shelter surrender, and support communities where animal welfare resources are stretched thin.
Request Pet Food & Supplies
If you’re facing temporary financial hardship and need help with pet food or basic supplies, SPCA Wake may be able to help while supplies are available. Our Pet Helpline can also help you talk through other challenges you may be facing and connect you with additional resources for veterinary care, behavior support, temporary pet housing, and more.
How Supplies Are Shared
Direct Help for Pet Owners
SPCA Wake provides free pet food and supplies for families experiencing temporary hardship. Supporting pet owners in crisis means preventing permanent separation and keeping pets where they belong – at home with the people who love them.
Expanding Access Through Partnerships
SPCA Wake works with community partners such as Meals on Wheels of Wake County to reach pet owners who may have limited access to resources on their own. In 2025, pet food and supplies were distributed through partnerships with 42 different agencies.
Supporting NC Shelters & Communities
SPCA Wake redistributes food and supplies to resource-strapped animal shelters and rescue organizations across North Carolina, helping them stretch limited resources further, and also assists in disaster relief efforts and other periods of acute need.
Keeping Families Together
For many people – especially seniors, people living alone, or families facing a sudden financial setback – a pet is an essential source of companionship and stability.
When someone is struggling to afford food, the consequences can extend to every member of the family, including pets. Pet food assistance gives families breathing room during a difficult period so they don’t have to choose between their own basic needs and keeping the animal they love.
Brenda's Story
Brenda was facing one of the hardest decisions of her life. At 70, she needed to surrender her best friends, Lily and Emmy, because of rising pet food costs. She’d adopted the dogs years before, and they spent every day by each other’s sides. But with a fixed income in the face of rising expenses, Brenda could not afford to feed her two girls longer.
Brenda was heartbroken at the thought of losing her companions. Brenda says Lily and Emmy are like her babies, and it was awful to think that something out of their control could force them apart. That’s when Brenda decided to try calling around in search of help.
Thanks to supporters of this program, Lily and Emmy are now part of our Pet Food Assistance program — and they’re snuggled up with their mom where they belong.
I’m 70 now. Finances are tough at this point in time. I called to ask for assistance, and thank goodness there was a program for me.
Lily Mae and Emmy Lou are like my little angels. They love each other. They snuggle up and sleep together. It’s a real blessing not to have to worry about my girls having their daily food. I can’t even tell you what it means to my girls and me.
Brenda, Pet Food Assistance recipient
2025 Impact
For more information about the impact of this program, view our latest Impact Report.
257,154
Pet Meals Provided
42
Partner Agencies
$280,820
Value of Distributed Supplies
Reaching Homebound Seniors
When Meals on Wheels of Wake County began hearing from clients who were cutting back on their own meals or even stretching prescriptions so they could afford food for their pets, they reached out to SPCA Wake for help. What followed was a long-term partnership that now provides regular deliveries of pet food and supplies to homebound seniors and other clients who may have limited ability to access resources on their own.
For many homebound seniors, a pet is an essential source of companionship and comfort. By helping keep that pet fed and cared for, we are supporting both ends of the leash – protecting the health of the person, preserving the human-animal bond, and helping families stay together through difficult times.
