Coventry Pet Shop Donates 215 Pet Food Parcels to Food Banks

A pet shop has extended its efforts to assist animal owners facing difficulties by contributing pet food parcels to food banks. Purdy’s Pet Shop in Coventry has been assembling these parcels for the past 11 months, initiated by reports from owners experiencing challenges in feeding their pets. Supported by customer contributions, the shop packages a week’s supply of pet food into bags, which are then dispatched to food banks within the city for collection by individuals. Since the program’s inception, the team has distributed approximately 215 pet food parcels, with a goal of reaching 250 by Christmas. Rebecca Harrington, who owns Purdy’s Pet Shop, informed BBC Radio CWR that her motivation stemmed from the awareness of people and pets “out there struggling”. She stated, “They’ve got to make a decision sometimes on whether they feed themselves or their pets.” She added, “My staff and I just thought this isn’t right and we wanted to do something about it.” Ms Harrington contacted The Trussell Trust, a charity, following inquiries from customers about local food banks offering pet food. The organization communicated that this was not a service they routinely offered but expressed willingness to accept her guidance. The pet store currently coordinates with the trust and various food banks to supply the pet food parcels. She explained that individuals could inquire about the parcels at a food bank, and volunteers would then reach out to the pet shop, which would dispatch a parcel within a few days. Ms Harrington commended her consistent customers for their “amazing” donations, further stating her confidence in achieving their goal of 250 by the conclusion of the festive period. She further remarked, “We’d love to reach 250 for Christmas. I think we can do it if people help.” Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.