Rescue Pack’s Bowls of Hope deliver 100K of pet food to local pantries

Now through December, Rescue Pack, a Midwest Pet Supply Resource serving the Great Lake states, has launched “Bowls of Hope” a resident-focused pet food distribution initiative to support families currently experiencing financial hardship through the holidays. The goal is to distribute over 100,000 lbs. of pet food to help reduce household costs and prevent devastating pet surrenders.

“During times of financial hardship, many people face impossible choices between feeding their families and feeding their pets,” said Rescue Pack Executive Director Kathy Wiesner. “Our Bowls of Hope program aims to minimize that heartbreaking choice, ensuring that no pet in our community goes hungry or ends up in a shelter.”

Through existing partnerships with pet food pantries and human food pantries, Rescue Pack will distribute donated pet food directly to residents in need across the Chicago area and Gary, Indiana.

Leveraging its current logistics network and donor relationships with major brands such as Chewy.com, Greater Good Charities, I and love and you, PetSmart, and Stella & Chewy’s, Rescue Pack can efficiently move surplus food where it’s needed most.

Participating pantries

Pantry dates and times vary. Residents are encouraged to visit organization websites for more details. Updated information will be posted on Rescue Pack social channels as available.

Illinois

• Bruno’s Pro Bono Pet Pantry/Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, 834 N. Highland, Aurora, IL 60506

• Friendship Pet Food Pantry, 2711 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL 60625

• Huckleberry’s Snack Shack, 141 S. Kinzie Ave., Bradley, IL 60195

• Kibble Korner Pet Food Pantry, 421 S. Rockton Ave., Rockford, IL 61102

• My Three Pups Pet Food Pantry, 142 W. Main St., Capron, IL 61012

• Paws for a Cause Vet Care, 1620 Bond St., Naperville, IL 60563

• Wet Nose Pantry at Westchester Food Pantry, 1938 S. Manneheim Road, Westchester, IL 60154

Indiana

• Cause 4 Paws Gary at The Beacon Light Church, 3770 Burr St., Gary, IN 46408

“We’ve spent over 10 years as a steady part of this community, doing all we can for both people and their pets,” Wiesner said. “It’s really a dedicated team effort. What matters most to us is making sure pets stay with their families whenever possible, and that shelters have what they need to help every animal find a loving home.”

Get involved

If you’d like to help us fill even more ‘Bowls of Hope’ by making a donation, see the link below for Rescue Pack’s wish list through Chewy.com. For every bag of food donated, an anonymous donor will match up to $20,000 worth of pet food.

• Chewy.com: chewy.com

About Rescue Pack

Established in 2016, Rescue Pack helps fight pet food insecurity across the Lake Michigan States—Illinois, Indiana, Southwest Michigan, and Wisconsin — by rescuing surplus goods and distributing them to homeless pets in shelters and to community families in need. In 2024, Rescue Pack kept 4 million lbs. of pet food out of landfills and filled more than 10 million bowls of food for hungry pets. Today, industry leaders such as Amazon, Blue Buffalo, Chewy.com, MARS Petcare, PetSmart, Purina, Stella & Chewy’s and Walmart help support this important work. Visit rescuepack.org to learn more.