Unique Fort Worth food bank for dogs and cats steps in when their owners face tough times

The choice of deciding who eats — you or your pet — is a heartbreaking one, and one that happens more often than most folks might know.

People without food have numerous places to turn to for help. Animals, not so much, and often they are an afterthought in the battle for survival — not by choice, but out of necessity.

After all, if a person can’t afford food for themselves, how can they afford to feed a pet?

Maria Koegl is the director of Don’t Forget to Feed Me, a Fort Worth food bank for dogs and cats that bills itself as the only one of its kind in North Texas. Much like food banks that distribute to pantries to help feed underprivileged people, they provide food for their pets, likewise, through pantries and organizations.

Also, they do so at no charge. Don’t Forget to Feed Me gets funding from donors, foundation grants, donor advised funds, corporate grants, etc.

”By keeping our focus on a single issue, we can address this specific need efficiently and quickly,” Koegl said.

Koegl added that Don’t Forget to Feed Me does not attempt to duplicate services offered by other organizations or agencies. She said while many local agencies focus on ensuring that people have adequate food and nutrition, she hears repeatedly from those organizations that pet owners will often choose to go without food to ensure their companion animals are fed.

”Two-thirds of Americans are pet owners. The need to provide pet food to pet owners experiencing economic uncertainty is real and immediate,” she said. “By providing pet owners with pet food, DF2FM ensures not only that owners are able to feed themselves, but also that pets receive food that is nutritionally appropriate for animals.

”Additionally, many local agencies help pet owners with veterinary needs, such as spaying/neutering and vaccinations. Other local agencies are concerned with ensuring that homeless animals are adopted into ‘forever homes.’ These agencies address real needs and provide valuable services to the community. However, without access to proper pet food, their efforts will all be for naught.”

Don’t Forget to Feed Mehas distributed 9.2 million pet meals since 2008. Koegl cited statistics from the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy that pet maintenance is the No. 3 reason for dog surrender and No. 4 reason for cat surrender in the U.S.

“I am feeding my dogs human food. I’d rather give my dogs my meal so they aren’t going hungry,” wrote someone asking for help anonymously.

While Don’t Forget to Feed Me largely provides food for dogs and cats, there is one limited exception. The Maverick Fund provides immediate emergency support on a limited application basis.

How Don’t Forget to Feed Me started

It all started in the economic crisis of 2008. Not only were many families and individuals faced with hardships, having and caring for animals went from being a joy to a challenge for quite a few.

”Many were forced to choose between feeding their family and feeding the family pet,” Koegl recalled of the organization’s beginning.

Two area women, Kim Pearson and Terry Mullins, were brought together by a common goal: keep pets with their families. A committee was formed in the fall, and, working through the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Don’t Forget to Feed Me launched an inaugural Valentine pet food drive in February 2009.

“During the economic crisis of 2008 rescues and shelters were at capacity and having to turn people away. Pets were being abandoned on the side of the road. North Texas needed an alternative to surrendering and dumping. At that time, a pet food bank had not been heard of,” Pearson said.

“We knew that providing families with pet food would directly help with one of the leading causes of pet relinquishment, the inability to afford pet food.”

Pearson was a producer with WFAA Channel 8, and Mullins was working at the Amon G. Carter Foundation. WFAA was reporting on the same economic issues the Carter Foundation was aiding with.

“At that time, there was no support related to pet food insecurity. We both contacted Bob Soderburg, the executive director of Tarrant Area Food Bank at that time, and he connected Kim and me,” Mullins said.

Don’t Forget to Feed Me quickly grew, and in September 2010, set up independent 501(c)3 status and secured office space and a distribution partnership with Community Food Bank. After 10 years of service, the organization began to outgrow its space at Community Food Bank.

Koegl first got involved after meeting Mullins in 2009 while Koegl was working at an animal hospital in Colleyville. She started with Don’t Forget to Feed Me as a volunteer and has held several positions in the organization before becoming its director in 2022.

In 2018, Don’t Forget to Feed Me moved into its own facility. This move provided more warehouse and office space, allowing the organization to make an even greater difference in the community.

Currently, Don’t Forget to Feed Me has 35 distribution partners, including notable names such as Metroport Meals on Wheels, North Central Texas Meals on Wheels, Spay Neuter Network (Fort Worth), and Denton Community Food Center. In all, the partner with 19 food pantries and 16 home, not alone partners such as area senior centers and/or residences.

Koegl noted that in 15 years of serving the greater Fort Worth area, Don’t Forget to Feed Me has distributed almost 10 million pet meals and served close to 130,000 households. They distribute over 30,000 pounds of free pet food to the community every month.

“Thank you for your help. It means the world to me,” wrote an anonymous recipient.

Another added, “I’m very grateful that DF2FM helps me. I’ve done without just to make sure my dog eats.”

SIMILAR SITUATION

DF2FM reported its distribution in 2023 so far is already 31% more than at this same time last year. That’s slightly more than 39,000 additional pounds of food.

“We find ourselves in a similar economic environment to 2008. While the cause of the current economic uncertainty differs, its effects remain the same. Families and individuals are struggling to put food on the table and are forced to choose which bill they can skip each month,” Pearson said. “In some cases, families are relinquishing their pet — a member of the family — because that is one less mouth to feed.

“Local shelters and rescues are seeing mass surrenders of companion animals, while at the same time, DF2FM has a wait list that continues to grow as more people and organizations discover we are a resource to fill this need in the community — to fill the shelves of their local food pantries with pet food — subsequently allowing those agencies to feed the entire family, including those with four legs.”

Koegl said research by Don’t Forget to Feed Me found that 34% of clients surveyed reported previously skipping their own meals so they could afford to feed their pets. Don’t Forget to Feed Me programs allow pet owners to keep their companion animals while proving nutritionally appropriate food for them.

”By providing pet food to those in need, DF2FM helps pet owners stay fed as well. These pets are lifelines for these families, with 21% of DF2FM clients surveyed reporting that their pet is an emotional support animal,” Koegl said.

Koegl recalled visiting a Don’t Forget to Feed Me distribution partner, when she met a client named Marta who was picking up dog food for her service dog, Princess. Living on Social Security and disability and going through a rent increase, she told Koegl that without the help of Don’t Forget to Feed Me via the Fort Worth Hope Center, she would not be able to continue feeding herself and her loving pet.

”Through our partnerships, clients like Marta can get food for the whole family, preventing them from having to choose between ‘stay or go’ for their four-legged family members,” Koegl said.

How to help

If you are interested in helping DF2FM in its mission, they accept monetary donations to help purchase pet food in bulk and at cost through partnership with a local feed store. They also accept in-kind donations of dry or canned dog and cat food, no toys, beds medications, etc.

Volunteers are also welcome to help in and out of the warehouse.

The organization is holding its Hot & Hungry fundraiser with a goal of raising $20,000 to help ensure the continuation of pet food distribution. For more information about this or the organization in general, visit dontforgettofeedme.org or email operations@df2fm.org for applications.

”Don’t Forget to Feed Me envisions a community in which all pet owners are able to feed their pets,” Koegl said.