Battersea and FareShare have joined forces to support pets and owners going through challenging times.
With the backing of UK Pet Food, this initiative brings together pet food companies eager to make a difference with owners in need. These meals are distributed nationwide by FareShare, with the cost of transporting the stock covered by Battersea.
If you are a pet food company and would like to join us to make sure no pet goes hungry, you can find details on how to contribute below.
The companies that already contribute to this initiative have reported positively on the ease of the process. For example, Lily’s Kitchen who said “working with FareShare has been fantastic from our perspective. Previously we have focused on trying to deliver direct to small, local charities [which] has been very admin heavy and often we could not find enough demand to donate all our leftover stock. Working with FareShare has reduced administration dramatically … it has been an excellent implementation."
There has never been a more urgent need for this support. One in five pet owners report struggling financially, with 27% saying they are having to prioritise their pets’ needs over their own. Alarmingly, 17% of those struggling fear they may have to give up or sell their pet within the next six months. As a result, Battersea - along with rescue centres across the UK - has seen a significant rise in requests to relinquish pets.
It’s getting to the stage where we can’t carry on for another 6 months. I’d never want to give her away, but in 3-6 months may have to think that way if it does not change.
At the same time, FareShare has reported a sharp increase in demand for pet food from the charities they support. By helping meet this demand, we can help to keep pets with the families who love them and ease the pressure on pet-owning households during difficult times.
About FareShare
FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 18 independent organisations. Together, they take good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to nearly 8,000 frontline charities and community groups, including homeless shelters and community cafes.
