Help for hungry pets
Nonprofit Petey’s Promise offers aid to pet owners in financial pinch keep their animals fed and healthy.

By Kevin Cary
kcary@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Mar. 01, 2009

Liz Mellott launched Petey’s Promise in Harrisburg to help owners feed their animals in tough times.

Liz Mellott says she’s still surprised whenever she sees the piles of pet food inside a small office off Hudspeth Road in Harrisburg.

“We weren’t expecting this to take off as fast as it did,” she said. “We just happened to start this at the right time.”

Mellott is the founder of Petey’s Promise, a nonprofit organization in Harrisburg that feeds the pets of families in need. She launched the organization back in July with the help of co-workers from the National Speed Sport News – just when the demand for such a need started to surge.

Mellott had heard about folks giving up medical treatments to feed their pets, and decided to take action.

Petey’s Promise has been operating less than a year, and Mellott said creating a nonprofit from scratch is a daunting task. But once she completed the paperwork, Mellott and co-worker Sara Barkman launched a Web site to help get the word out.

It didn’t take long to realize how much need there was.

“We had to jump right in,” Mellott said. “We knew there were animals starving. We didn’t want people to have to return animals to the shelter because they couldn’t feed them.”

Petey’s Promise – named for Mellott’s dog, Petey – now feeds more than 100 dogs and 20 cats. Mellott is hoping to feed more than 300 pets by the end of the year.

The group works with donations and volunteers. Those who receive pet food are asked to donate when they can, or volunteer to help distribute food to other families.

Pets are given a four- to six-week supply of food, based on their weight. Those receiving the food must first fill out an application.

The organization distributes 200 pounds of food or more in a month. It also helps feed some animals of owners in the Cabarrus Meals on Wheels program, which provides a nutritious lunch to homebound residents.

Mellott said Petey’s Promise will have fundraisers at Les Myers Park in Concord later this month and will also work with the KannapolisIntimidators minor-league baseball team to raise money.

Mellott said food donations can be made at the organization’s office, 6509 Hudspeth Road. She said opened bags of food can be accepted.

Monetary donations can also be made through the organization’s Web site, www.peteyspromise.org, or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 91, Harrisburg, NC 28075.

The nonprofit has already seen a dramatic increase in interest. A Facebook page for the group already has more than 400 members, including almost 200 who have joined in the last month.

The organization plans to open a store, possibly by the end of April, to create more revenue to help pets in need. But Mellott said the organization doesn’t want to turn anyone away.

“We hope we are just supplementing the folks until they are back on their feet. But when something happens, what can you do?” Mellott said. “One of our clients was totally out of food, and we had to do something. We want to help as long as we can.”