No one should have to decide whether they eat or their pet eats. However, many metro Detroiters are forced to make this unfortunate decision. Often, pet owners choose to feed their animals instead of themselves. Our Caplan Family Pet Food Pantry, established six years ago, works to prevent pet families from having to make this choice and instead provides them with the resources they need to keep everyone fed and together.
“We saw a need,” said Katie Franklin, Michigan Humane’s Director of Community Solutions. “We saw a need in the community for people who love their pets [and] want to provide for their pets but maybe didn’t have access to the resources.”
It started small with pet food donations being handed out to clients at our shelter locations. As the demand grew, the pantry moved into a warehouse in Detroit and began distributing food in a drive-up model. This process worked for a while, but we knew there was more opportunity.
Just last year, the Caplan Family Pet Food Pantry relocated to another larger warehouse that is shared with Gleaners Community Food Bank and began a new distribution model to help reach even more families in the community. We now join our partners Gleaners and Forgotten Harvest at their pantry events and distribute our pet food alongside their human food. Together, we serve 200-400 individuals at each pantry event at locations across metro Detroit.
