Volunteers for Colorado Pet Pantry unloaded bags of dog food to distribute to pet owners. Front Porch photo by Christie Gosch

Two Denver nonprofits are partnering to help communities and pets in need.

On the first Tuesday of each month, We Don’t Waste (based in northeast Park Hill) and the Denver- wide Colorado Pet Pantry set up a market at Bruce Randolph School at 3955 Steele St. The nonprofits offer fresh produce, dairy, meats, spices, drinks, pantry items, and pet food.

“Our mission is to prevent food waste and solve food insecurity at the same time,” said Caroline Hissong with We Don’t Waste.

The organization partners with 300 food businesses to collect surplus food and deliver it to communities through nonprofits with food distribution programs and walk-up food markets in areas that typically have less access to food.

At the Bruce Randolph School market, Colorado Pet Pantry also provides pet food and treats for dogs and cats at no cost. This is their largest distribution site in the city, created to meet the need for pet food in northeast Denver.

“Financial struggles shouldn’t be the reason that you can’t have a pet in your family,” said Eileen Lambert, founder and executive director of Colorado Pet Pantry.

There were dozens of people in line for pet food during the June event. Visitors brought wagons to carry out large bags of pet food for their dogs and cats.

There are no barriers to who qualifies to receive pet food. Customers can pick up once every three months from the organization’s 100 locations statewide.

In the last year, Colorado Pet Pantry distributed 7.5 million meals, or one month of food for 125,000 dogs and cats in Colorado communities, with food sourced from individual donations, distributors, and companies in the Denver area.

Colorado Pet Pantry partners with another organization to distribute pet food at each event. The goal of the nonprofit, started 13 years ago, is to provide food for pets during time of extreme need to help keep them out of shelters.

We Don’t Waste and Colorado Pet Pantry first partnered in 2020.

The volunteer-run Colorado Pet Pantry also gives out vouchers for free spay and neuter procedures at Spay Today in Lakewood.

Hissong, of We Don’t Waste, said the market serves as many as 300 families, or about 1,000 people, in two hours.

We Don’t Waste started hosting markets at the end of 2019.

For more information about Colorado Pet Pantry, visit coloradopetpantry.org. 

Learn more about We Don’t Waste at wedontwaste.org.