Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria stepped up for pet parents in need, providing more than 5,000 lbs. of pet supplies to Alexandria residents in need since mid-March.
“For many of the people reaching out to us, their pet might be their only support system,” said Director of Community Programs Joanna Fortin. “They’re wondering how they are going to be able to provide for that pet, but they also don’t know what they’d do without them.”
The AWLA is offering several programs to assist pet owners during the coronavirus pandemic that has put so many pet owners out of work.
The Community Pet Pantry provides pet care items like wet and dry food, cat litter, “puppy pads” for house training and more. This program, which had previously contributed supplies to federal employees affected by the government furlough in 2019, is seeing a greater number of requests than ever — requests were up nearly 400 percent in April alone over previous months.
Pet owners are invited to contact the AWLA at community@alexandriaanimals.org or (703) 746-5508 to discuss what items are needed for their pet and how to arrange for pick-up or delivery.
The AWLA’s long-standing Animeals program, in collaboration with Senior Services of Alexandria, has also provided thousands of pounds of food and other pet items, not just since March but since the program began in 2014. Working with Meals on Wheels, Animeals provides monthly deliveries of pet supplies to housebound Alexandria seniors with pets.
“These pets may have lived with just one person for their entire lives, and we know some of our Animeals recipients would buy food for their pets before they bought it for themselves,” said Community Programs Coordinator Demetrius Jackson. “But we don’t think anyone should have to make that decision, especially when there are so many people willing to help.”
The assistance offered by programs like the Community Pet Pantry and Animeals does not come from the AWLA alone. Every day, animal-loving residents of Northern Virginia donate food, beds, toys and much more to the AWLA. These supplies, as well as specific items requested through online wish lists, make up a majority of the items provided to animals in need across the community.
“Alexandrians love animals,” said AWLA Executive Director Stella Hanly, “and that’s not just their own pets. When we put out a request for help, we are flooded by donations that can be used not only at the AWLA but across the community. We couldn’t do this without their support!” Wish lists for popularly requested items can be found at AlexandriaAnimals.org/PetPantry and AlexandriaAnimals.org/Animeals.
The AWLA also offers other programs to assist pet owners, including a spay-and-neuter program for low-income pet owners, community pet care fairs and behavioral support and advice. More information about all of these programs can be found at AlexandriaAnimals.org.
“Animal welfare is a fundamental goal of our work at the AWLA,” says Fortin, “and that’s not just the animals here in the shelter. The more we can reach animals in need across the community, the better home we can make Alexandria for all animals and for everyone who loves them!”
