The South Shore Pet Food Pantry (SSPFP), originally founded in October 2016 as the Weymouth Pet Food Pantry, is dedicated to helping South Shore, MA, individuals and families in times of need by providing supplemental pet food, as well as resource referral and education. Our goal is to help pets and their owners stay together, especially when budgets get tight and times get tough. The all-volunteer SSPFP was started by a small group of women in various areas of animal rescue who identified the need for pet food assistance in our communities. We decided to work with existing local food pantries to address the problem upstream, before pets are in a surrender situation. By providing supplemental pet food, offering low-cost veterinary referrals, and spreading education around the importance of the companion-animal relationship, we have the opportunity to increase the overall health of pets and owners and reduce shelter surrenders.

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The first priority of the SSPFP is pet food assistance. This is currently accomplished through partnerships with the Weymouth Food Pantry (Weymouth), the Pantry Shelf at Interfaith Social Services (Quincy), Pembroke Firehouse Pantry (Pembroke), QCAP's Southwest Community Food Center (Quincy), and the Food Pantry at Fourth Presbyterian Church (South Boston). We provide cat and dog food for distribution at these pantry sites. We rely solely on donations, which can be made at our drop spots, listed below, and through our Amazon and Target wish lists, also listed below. In addition, we pick up overflow pet food from local shelters on a regular basis.

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It is also important to us to use our experience and the connections we've made in animal rescue to provide resources and referrals, including low-cost veterinary referrals to those in need. And because very few problems get solved without education, we are committed to individual and community education wherever and whenever possible.

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Pet Food Pantries:

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Pantry schedules, distribution, and qualifications vary. For more information and to see how you qualify, please click on the pantry location below to visit their website.

 

We do distribute each Saturday at the Weymouth Food Pantry Pop Up Pantry. You must be a Weymouth resident, but there are no income qualifications to receive pet food at the Saturday distribution. However, we distribute on a first-come, first-served basis!

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• Fourth Presbyterian Church - Boston, MA

• Interfaith Social Services, Quincy, MA

• Pembroke Firehouse Pantry - Pembroke, MA

• Quincy Community Action Programs - Quincy, MA

• Weymouth Food Pantry - Weymouth, MA

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Donation Options:

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We are grateful to our Donation Drop Spots!
Please click on the location for hours and more information:

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• A Fox & Hounds Harborside - Hingham, MA

• A Fox & Hounds Pet Care - Norwell, MA

• Devine Feed and Pet - Norwell, MA

• Got Pawz - Weymouth, MA

• JB's Indoor Dog Park - Norwell, MA

• Norwell Veterinary Hospital - Norwell, MA

• TA Fitness - Weymouth, MA

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Donations can also be made through:

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• Amazon

• Target

 

Local animal shelters -- MSPCA-Angell, MSPCA-Nevins Farm, Animal Rescue League of Boston, Animal Rescue League of Dedham, Standish Humane Society, Scituate Animal Shelter, Marshfield Animal Shelter, and Quincy Animal Shelter -- have been generous donors of pet food. Please support your local shelter!

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Volunteer Opportunities:

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• Distribute food on Saturday at Old South Union Church in Weymouth

• Collect donations at local drop-off sites

• Run a cat and/or dog food drive

• Bag food for distribution

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If you’d like to volunteer and/or have an idea of your own, let us know by emailing us at:

contact@sspfp.org