Pet parents in Waterloo region need your help to keep their pantry stocked

When you're making donations to the local food bank this year, don't forget about pets in need.

Calla James, the director of community engagement and outreach at the KW Humane Society, said this year they have fed over double the number of pets they fed last year through their pet pantry program.

"We're anticipating that we are going to see close to 5,000 pets fed this year, if not more, and we don't anticipate that demand slowing," James said.

Katherine Parry relies on the KW Humane Society's pet pantry to feed her dog Prince. She said the program is more important now than ever.

"I noticed that pet food's gone right up. A lot of people can't afford the prices," she said, adding that she'd have to surrender her cats and her dog Prince if the pet pantry wasn't an option.

"They're my four-legged kids. It actually makes me want to cry thinking that you'd have to give up my animals. I don't think I could do that. They're very important to me."

James said the pet pantry distributes a high volume of dry cat and dog food every week, making it the pet pantry's number one need.

Second on the list of urgent needs is cat litter, which James said the pet pantry regularly runs out of.

"Many people think that we're government funded and we are not," she said.

"We rely on the generosity of our communities, individual donors, corporations, as well as our fundraising efforts to provide all of these programs. So we really hope that you'll think of the Humane Society this year."