By Annika Morschauser
Contributing Writer
GREEN BAY – Community Paws of Wisconsin (CPW) welcomes those in need to their Pet Food Pantry located on Main Street in Green Bay.
CPW is a fairly new organization, taking over Hidden Paws Network (HPN) in November.
The Pet Food Pantry has been running for four years, including its transition from HPN to CPW.
Vice President/Founder Steven Parise said, “We have a few different programs, one being the Pet Food Pantry which serves the low-income population here with pet food, supplies and it also serves wellness needs.”
The Pet Food Pantry is open on Mondays, 4-6 p.m., and Thursdays, 1-3 p.m.
It’s located on Main Street near a bus stop for those with limited transportation options.
People with low incomes can shop freely to pick up pet food and supplies once a month.
Shoppers need to be registered with CPW to receive goods and services for their pets.
The registration process asks what types of pets they own, pet food preferences or allergies and checks if the shopper is registered with other food pantries all of which are done in store.
The store runs completely on donations from the community that includes donations of time from volunteers.
CPW has wish lists on Amazon and Chewy for people to donate.
They also have drop-off locations in both Petco stores in Green Bay and Pet Supplies Plus in Ashwaubenon.
CPW also partners with animal shelters to give unused donations to other animals in need.
Parise hopes to expand every aspect of the Pet Food Pantry, but they can only do as much as the amount of donations and volunteers permit.
“We’re not holding ourselves back from expanding as far as resources will allow us,” he said.
More donations and volunteers could allow them to open another Pet Food Pantry in a different location to serve even more members of the community.
It could also allow for longer hours on several days and/or give their clients a delivery option for those who don’t have the transportation to shop in person.
CPW also participates in fostering pets for domestic violence victims since most domestic violence shelters don’t allow pets in their facilities.
This takes a worry off the person’s plate as they are recovering.
For more information, visit https://communitypaws.ngo.