I believe we had 50 people in line that we had to turn away. People kept coming after we were closed up.”

Aminda Edgar, executive director of Familiar Hearts Animal Society

The Germantown Pet Pantry gave out its entire stock of pet food and pet care items an hour and a half after opening on March 22.

"The event was a success in that we definitely tapped into a real need in the community. People began lining up at 6 a.m. with their carts to get this support," said Aminda Edgar, executive director of Familiar Hearts Animal Society, who helped establish the pantry. "I believe we had 50 people in line that we had to turn away. People kept coming after we were closed up."

In those 90 minutes, the pantry helped provide food and care items for 248 pets, 180 of whom were cats. Edgar says pet pantries exist in other parts of the city but not in the Northwest. PAWS Northeast Spay/Neuter & Wellness Clinic provides one in the Northeast.

Wanting to keep the pantry going, Edgar said they will need more donations, urging that "if (people) have the means to share, please share."

The pantry started after Josie Crist, a Germantown resident, kept seeing social media posts from desperate pet owners seeking spare food for their animals. Deciding to act, she partnered with Familiar Hearts, organizing Germantown's first pet pantry, offering everything from food to flea medication for struggling pet owners.

Familiar Hearts, a local nonprofit with a network of foster homes providing temporary care for rescued pets until permanent families can be found, stepped in to help after seeing Crist's social media poll seeking volunteers and donations.

Edgar, who formed Familiar Hearts in 2021 after noticing that crowding at local shelters had become so severe that animal control was telling people to hang onto rescued strays, has seen firsthand how the cost of pet care can lead to abandonment. Even basic nutrition can be a significant expense.  According to Purina, a dog weighing between 26 and 50 pounds should eat between 2 and 2⅔ cups of dry dog food a day.

"There is a significant need in this community, and this type of event will help ACCT in the long run, especially with kitten season coming up, because it will keep pets at home with their owners," Crist told the Local. "The number one reason for cats and dogs to be surrendered is a lack of financial resources for food and supplies."

That need became apparent at their first pantry. Before attendees entered, Crist asked the pet owners to fill out a questionnaire describing their needs and circumstances – and was struck by the repeated expressions of gratitude.

"A lot of people told me that this would help them be able to afford food for themselves. Now, they don't have to worry about their pets or that they didn't have to worry about choosing between whether to feed their cats or their dogs," Crist said. "A majority of the people that showed up were on some type of government or state assistance."

Items such as cat litter and dry food were the first to go, Crist said, with dry cat and dog food being a major donation needed for the next pantry. As the weather gets warmer, flea medication is another need. Crist said they only received 20 total flea medication donations for the first pantry.

An important goal for Crist and Edgar is to not have to turn as many people away because of a scarcity of donations.

"We would love to not be turning people away, especially people who are struggling to get transportation as it is, or coming here around their work schedules," Edgar said. "It'd be nice to be able to have more available and as we go forward with this, perhaps figuring out how we can make it more accessible to those who are really in need."

Edgar and Crist will hold the next pantry on May 31, at the Germantown Boys & Girls Club. Moving forward, they would like to nail down a consistent location, potentially outdoors, with hopes for nice weather.

Residents can donate pet food, supplies or flea medication at Weavers Way Across the Way, Grocery Outlet and Fairmont Bark, all in Mt Airy. 

For more information, visit familiarhearts.org.