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Keep Pets S.A.F.E.

(Supporting Animals and Families Everyday)

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Request pet food and supplies

Do you find yourself having to decide whether or not you can keep your pet due to emergency medical, financial, or personal reasons?  If so, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) may be able to help!

ARL’s Keep Pets S.A.F.E program is offering the following services for residents of Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Hyde Park:

  • Deliver pet food and other essential pet supplies to clients’ homes and partner-supported community housing

ARL staff member handing someone a bag of pet food

To request assistance

Call the Keep Pets S.A.F.E. hotline at (857) 350-8730*, Monday – Saturday, 9AM – 5PM

 or

Request pet food and supplies

*Please note that we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes due to the high demand for critical pet supplies and services. We thank you for your patience.

ARL’s Keep Pets S.A.F.E. Program in Action

Hill's Food Logo

Thank you to Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love® Disaster Relief Network for generously supplying wet and dry dog and cat food for ARL’s Keep Pets S.A.F.E. Program.

Thank you to our Keep Pets S.A.F.E. collaborators

Action for Boston Community Development, Boston Senior Care Home Care, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Mayor Wu and the City of Boston, and especially people like you!

Keep Pets F.E.D. (Full Every Day)

The Keep Pets F.E.D. (Full Every Day) in-kind drive series was launched last year to help keep pets with their families by providing pet food to our community.

The need is greater than ever. The number of pet meals we provided to the community last year increased by more than 25% and we saw an 81% increase in calls to our hotline.

Our resources have been pushed to the limit and we urgently need your help!

You can fight pet hunger by purchasing critically needed food through our Amazon wish list or Chewy wish list.

Unopened, unexpired, shelf-stable pet food may also be dropped off at any of our three locations in Boston, Dedham, or Brewster (Cape Cod), Wednesday through Sunday, from 1:00pm to 6:00pm.

Keep Pets F.E.D. Community Challenge

Collect critically needed pet food and see who can keep the most pets F.E.D.!

Are you a business looking to engage your colleagues in a cause they care about, a school group looking for ways to show students the importance of giving back, a religious organization or church looking to help the community, or a family, scout troop, or another other group who wants to show some love for animals? This challenge is for you!

It’s easy to join the Keep Pets F.E.D. Community Challenge

  1. Sign up by 8/23 at 5:00pm

  2. Collect items from our wish list during the drive period of 9/1 – 9/30

  3. Track your donations using our simple PDF form

  4. Drop off your donations and signed form from 10/1 to 10/8 at one of our Animal Care & Adoption Centers

By category, the groups who drop off the most pet food will get special recognition, an award, and bragging rights! 

The need is greater than ever. The number of pet meals we provided to the community last year increased by more than 26% and we have already received more than 500 calls to our hotline this year. 

Our resources have been pushed to the limit and we urgently need the help of our whole community to Keep Pets F.E.D. (Full Every Day)!

We need unopened, unexpired, shelf-stable pet food including:

  • Dry cat food (13+ lb bags) – URGENT NEED
  • Canned cat food (all varieties) – URGENT NEED
  • Small bites or small breed dry dog food – URGENT NEED
  • Dry dog food (all sizes)
  • Canned dog food (all varieties)
  • Dry Kitten Food
  • Canned kitten food
  • Dry Puppy Food
  • Canned Puppy Food
  • Dry cat food (all sizes)
dog and kitten eating

Help us meet our ambitious goal of 15,000 lbs of pet food!

You can also purchase these critically needed items through our Amazon wish list or Chewy list.

FAQs

I am not sure which category I should sign up for

We are offering the following 7 registration types with a friendly competition and a prize within each category:

      1. Corporate Group
      2. College or University
      3. High School (grades 9, 10, 11, 12)
      4. Middle School (grades 5, 6, 7, 8)
      5. Elementary School (Kindergarten through 4th grade)
      6. Religious or Community Group
      7. Other Interest Group (families, scout troops, clubs, etc)

Corporate groups are best for coworkers and your workplace; student groups should align with the average grade of the students and can include student clubs; religious and community groups can include churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other places of worship; other interest groups may include any group of folks with a common interest or love of animals. If you have additional questions, please contact info@arlboston.org

What items do you need?

We need unopened, unexpired, shelf-stable pet food including:

      • Dry cat food (13+ lbs bags are best)
      • Canned cat food (all varieties)
      • Small bites or small breed dry dog food
      • Dry dog food (all sizes)
      • Canned dog food (all varieties)
      • Dry and canned kitten or puppy food

More specific items are listed on our Amazon and Chewy wish lists.

How will you determine the winners?

There are 7 group categories and one winner will be selected from each group based on total donations.  One grand prize will be chosen from those top 7. We will rely on diligent and honest tracking on our donation form to determine which groups collected the most items.

What can I win?

In addition to the wonderful feeling of giving back to people and pets, winning groups will get special recognition on ARL’s social media (147,000+ reach), ARL’s website, and be included in our post-event press release, and be given a certificate. 

Can I collect items outside of the drive period?

Yes! Donations of food for Keep Pets F.E.D. are always needed.  However, to keep the friendly competition fair, we ask that you only track donations collected from 9/1 through 9/30.

Can we collect financial donations in addition to pet food?

Yes! Financial donations can make a huge impact. We can accept cash and checks made out to “The Animal Rescue League of Boston”.  Please mail collected donations to: Animal Rescue League of Boston, ATTN: F.E.D. Challenge, 10 Anna’s Place, Dedham, MA 02026

You can also donate online.

Can we get a group photo when we drop off our items?

Our ability to take photos of all groups is extremely limited.  To arrange for a photo in advance, please contact info@arlboston.org

Can we get a tour of the Animal Care & Adoption Center when we drop off our items?

Our ability to offer tours is extremely limited. Please inquire about tours by contacting info@arlboston.org, 30 days in advance. Tours will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, may need to be scheduled for a future date, and may not be offered based on availability.

Can I share this opportunity with others?

Yes! Helping to spread the word can help ensure we meet our ambitious goal.  You can help by:

      • Downloading the Keep Pets F.E.D. marketing toolkit
      • Sharing the drive flyers, e-newsletters, and social media posts with family, friends, and your social networks