HANCOCK COUNTY — All animal shelters need one constant in order to accomplish their missions: food. Greenfield Hancock Animal Management spends about 1 percent of its budget on dog and cat food and still sometimes it is in short supply as the facility keeps animals longer in the hope they will be adopted. So a generous donation this week of 80 cases of canned dog and cat food from the East Washington Street Sam’s Club was welcome. A few bags of dry dog food were donated as well.
Recognizing that other area shelters are just as needy, if not more so, Director Jeff Leffel said he is willing to share. “We have about 50 more cases of mostly dog food at this point to give away,” he said Thursday. Leffel said he has built a relationship with Sam’s Club since he was named director last June, letting the store know the shelter will take donations. That bore fruit Tuesday. “There was a bar code issue. The numbers weren’t matching up,” Leffel explained. “(The cases of food) are too expensive to ship back, so instead of throwing it away they give it away.” From time to time bags of dog food at the Sam’s Club warehouse on Muskegon Drive are damaged by forklift trucks. They end up at animal management as well.
The Hancock County Humane Society in Greenfield and Frenzy Animal Rescue in New Palestine were two shelters that shared in this week’s pet food bounty. To Frenzy’s Betty Wilkins, the food might as well be gold. “It’s marvelous they’re willing to share with all the rescues,” said Wilkins. “It’s that much more money that we can put into medical for a dog and maybe save another life. Otherwise we’d have to take what little money we get, and it’s not much, and buy food with it. I don’t know very many animal control places who would do something like this.”
Any rescue group that would like some of the remaining food should call Leffel at (317) 477-4367.
Tom Russo / Daily Reporter Pet project: Greenfield Hancock Animal Management employee Tiana Gerald and Teddy, a male poodle, sit atop cases of donated dog and cat food from Sam’s Club on East Washington Street.
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