Organizers of a drive to provide pet food for owners who can’t afford to feed their dogs and cats have announced four sites where the food can be picked up.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control Services are teaming in this effort, which also includes an effort to get pet food and financial contributions from the public.

In addition, Harrisburg-based Petey’s Promise offers help to pet owners who are facing the same problem.

Officials say the number of pets being turned in at the Mecklenburg County animal shelter is growing, as the economy continues to worsen.

Pet owners who request boxes of food will have to show proof of need, say officials of the Second Harvest Pet Food Bank.

Donors are asked to drop off bags that are 4 or 5 pounds or smaller. Those fit in the boxes being used by organizers of the Pet Food Bank. But larger bags also are welcome, they say.

Here are the pet food pickup sites:

Community Outreach, 1800 Brewton Drive. 704-333-4280. 9:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact Gwen or Blease Turner.

Abundant Life Child Development Center, 512 West 32nd Street. 704-375-0568. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. Contact Veronica Alexander.

Harbor Baptist Church, 5801 Old Concord Road. 704-596-2992. 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays except Mondays. Contact Heath Spivey.

C.U.P. Ministry, 1201 East 36th Street. 704-331-4806. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Contact David Godwin.

Here is where food can be donated:

CMPD Animal Care & Control, 8315 Byrum Drive, Charlotte.

Second Harvest Food Bank, 500-B Spratt Street, Charlotte.

Financial donations should be sent to CMPD Animal Care & Control, and made payable to “Pet Food Bank Donation.”

Petey’s Promise

This organization, headed by Elizabeth Mellott, provides food for pet owners who are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot afford to buy food and other supplies for their pets. Petey’s Promise also is seeking financial help from the community.

Pet owners in need can contact the agency and set up an appointment. For details, check www.peteyspromise.org, or call 704-654-9231.

As you know, in February we ran our Share the Love with your Four Legged Friends contest, and we received hundreds of photos through our Web site and Facebook page. I can’t believe how many people took time to upload pictures of their adorable animals. We enjoyed looking at each and every one. Congratulations to Anna M. from Charlotte, NC, for winning our grand prize, and Jimmy A. of Norfolk, VA, for being our first prize winner.

The month concluded with a great article on how Petey’s Promise is helping the community in the March 1st, Charlotte (NC) Observer. Of course, Petey posed for the photographer like a pro and did a spectacular job promoting his favorite charity!

Also, if you haven’t yet, please check out our new Petey’s Promise online store www.shop.peteyspromise.org. The site was created by our own Sara B. and she did a fantastic job as always. We have everything from ACC accessories to designer flip flops. All proceeds go to directly to our foundation.

With all of the excitement from the past month, we just can’t wait to see where we go from here!

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.”