Usage numbers show community need for Lawrence Humane Society’s pet pantry

New numbers from the Lawrence Humane Society’s pet pantry database demonstrate the community’s persistent need for free and accessible pet food.

The shelter launched a new pet pantry database July 1, 2024, to track usage. On Monday, an impact newsletter announced that 41.45 tons of pet food had been distributed in the past year. Additionally, 2,451 individual pets were fed, with 1,019 families supported.

“That number is not reflective of the need,” said Elina Alterman, LHS director of development and communications. “The need is so much higher. That number is simply reflective of how much we had donated that we could give out.”

The database may be new, but the necessity of the pantry has been ever present. With the closure of Trinity Lutheran Church’s pet pantry a few years ago, LHS became the primary site for Lawrence residents to access free food for their furry friends. For the shelter, operating a pantry is a measure to keep pets and people together.

“(We) believe that everyone experiences hard times at some point and financial circumstances are not an accurate measure of how loving a pet owner can be,” the shelter wrote in a newsletter. “We know from experience that if forced to choose, most pet owners will feed their pets instead of themselves … By assisting owners with pet food, we can ensure that the families we are helping are able to utilize their funds to keep a roof over their heads, receive necessary health care, pay for utilities, and feed themselves.”

Many city shelters rely on donations to source food for their animals, but LHS animals are fully provided for by Hills Pet Nutrition. The Humane Society is thus uniquely positioned to funnel all community food donations to the pantry, which ultimately still supports shelter services.

“It truly has made so much difference in terms of keeping pets with their families and out of the shelter, because we have limited space and we really need to help animals who have no other options,” Alterman said.

The LHS team strives to maximize the amount of food they give out during a pet pantry visit. Alterman said that more frequent visits to the pantry can feel demoralizing for a pet owner.

“We would like to give them (pantry visitors) as much as is reasonable at any one time,” Alterman said. “And, of course, that depends on how many pets they have … and it also just depends on how much we have donated. But our goal is always to keep everyone’s dignity at the forefront and give as much as we can.”

Those interested in using the pantry’s service do not need to provide any documentation or proof of income. They simply need to go to LHS’s Pet Resource Center, speak with a community case worker and provide a few basic details.

Some folks have expressed concern that this low barrier to entry could lead to abuse of the system. Alterman says the shelter is not worried.

“This is all really rooted in relationships and our community case workers, I mean, they know the folks that are coming,” Alterman said. “We ask about their pets, we try to build these relationships out. That is not as much a concern for us, and we would always want to air on the side of helping and assuming positive intent.”

Contribute to the pet pantry

The Lawrence Humane Society’s pet pantry accepts donations via an Amazon wishlist, in-person dropoff or delivery through third-party services. They take any type of pet food, even if it has been opened, as long as it is still identifiable in its original packaging.

Donations can be left on tables outside of the shelter or brought to staff and volunteers inside. Dropoffs can be made during Pet Resource Center hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so that the food does not sit out unsupervised overnight.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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