2023 pet food drive a success
Three animal lovers from across the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine came together to organize a pet food drive for three local animal shelters.
Angela Mathias, undergraduate advisor in public health; Brenna Evancho, administrative support specialist with the Population Health Sciences Department; and Emily Deane, patient services assistant at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital all pitched in to organize the pet food drive, which benefits Floyd County Humane Society, Giles County Animal Shelter, and Radford Animal Shelter.
The food drive began Nov. 1 and donations were accepted until Dec. 15. Donation boxes were placed around the college, and the organizers spread the word through social media, email, and word of mouth. They contacted several companies for donations — Nylabone donated 40 bones and Merrick donated coupons for free dog food.
Faculty, staff, and students at the college donated a total of 373 pounds of dry food and 268 cans of wet food for cats and dogs in addition to pet supplies like toys, blankets, and collars.
This was the organizers’ first pet food drive, but according to Mathias, it certainly won’t be the last. She and the other organizers plan on making this an annual event, and next year, they want to involve more businesses.
"It just comes from a love of animals,” she said. “I cannot wait to see the people's faces at the shelters when we bring them all this food!"
