After a little more than half a decade serving needy families in Loudon County, Four Paws Food Pantry is looking to readjust its emphasis in 2016.
Linda Walter, Four Paws president, said the group, which consists of three permanent board members and numerous volunteers, has considered making changes for a “long time.” The three permanent board members are Walter, Christine Britton, vice president, and Carol Witherington, treasurer.
“We’ve been talking about it for a long time because we have been getting older and older, and it’s becoming more difficult for us to do some of the physical things that need to be done, and so what we’re doing now is we’re just encouraging others” to raise funds, Walter said. “... I don’t want anybody to get the idea that Four Paws is going out of business or anything like that because we still have a very — we are very, very committed, no less now than we have been in the past.”
The changes should help ensure Four Paws remains operational for years to come, Walter said. She moved to Florida late last year, but she still works by phone and computer “all the time,” she said.
Although no longer organizing and conducting Four Paws fundraisers, which has included the six-year run of the Dining for Dogs and Cats event, Walter said hopes are to maintain an adequate level of funding through volunteer and grant opportunities. Dining for Dogs and Cats has raised more than $9,400 the past two years.
Walter said Four Paws was recently awarded a $2,500 grant from nonprofit organization the Doris Day Animal Foundation.
“Actually, our treasurer Carol Witherington had applied for that grant sometime ago, and we never heard so we didn’t think we were going to get anything and then lo and behold we are,” she said, noting the grant application was submitted late last year.
“They have realized that pet food pantries are very critical to keeping pets in their homes and out of shelters,” she said. “It serves many purposes to be able to keep pets in their homes. It helps the communities by having to deal with so many pets that are surrendered, and it helps families because they are able to keep their pets when they need them.”
In addition to the grant, Walter said a couple of volunteer fundraising opportunities have already provided assistance, adding that volunteer Jackie Curtiss was able to hold a pet food drive at Lenoir City Ford, which was “somewhat successful” in raising about $200. Walter said Curtiss plans to hold another pet food drive in the spring.
“These are the kinds of things that if people will do that it will just help all of our Loudon County pets so much,” Walter said. “But we intend to, like I say, keep up communication. We’re currently putting out two newsletters a year, and we may increase that to three, and this way people will still be in touch with what we’re doing and everything that’s happening with us, and we’re also going to be — like I said — applying for grants and keeping in touch with anybody who is interested in helping us.
“We’ve had several people contact us and say that they would like to help, and so we’re working with them so that they can figure out what things that they can do that work for them that will benefit us as well,” she said.
Facebook will also be more of a focus for Four Paws in hopes that it will create more of a personal touch with clientele, and Four Paws officials will be able to show off the pets they assist. Facebook is also a “good way to attract new volunteers,” she said.
“It’s really important that people understand that we are alive and well, and we are as strongly committed to our mission now as we ever have been,” Walter said. “We’re just kind of changing up the game so that we can continue it even further into the future.”
Four Paws will no longer hold monthly meetings, according to a press release from the organization, but still keep in touch with supporters via email, newsletters, the MailChimp marketing service and the organization’s website.
Assistance to needy
Four Paws serves needy families through Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County, Walter said, noting dog and cat food is picked up each week from Ingles.
Good Sam Pantry Manager Eddy Shubert said 30 bags of dog and cat food is delivered for distribution each Tuesday.
“Some people come in — they’re allowed to come in once a month to get dog food and/or cat food,” Shubert said. “Some people just come in every month. ... They probably wouldn’t be able to feed their pets without this service unless they just fed them on just table scraps, which are not good for the pets.”
Philadelphia resident Dorthea Mincey said she has been coming to Good Sam to pick up pet food for a couple of years now.
“There’s a couple times we didn’t have anything,” Mincey said.
“I usually get a small bag or two, but this kind of keeps it where they’re not starving to death. So, and food-wise they’ve always, I don’t know, it’s always enough to help out. I’m very grateful.”
Mincey has two dogs and two cats, and she said she shares food with her neighbor, Sissy Moore, who has five cats and two dogs.
“And usually her dogs will sometimes eat the cat food, so me and her swap out half and half on a bag,” Mincey said. “But usually it gets us both well taken care of.”
