Arlo's Pantry
.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:13.01%25,w:73.98%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1209,h:605,cg:true)
About Arlo's Pantry
Pope County Humane Society is excited to introduce our newest community support program: Arlo’s Pantry, a pet food pantry for Pope County families in need. Beginning in early March we will open the pantry doors every Thursday and Friday, offering pet food to families in need of food for their furry family members.
PCHS Director of Operations, Zoë Johnson, says of Arlo’s Pantry, “We’ve tracked an increase in families needing to give up their pets because they can no longer afford their care, and an increase in stray dogs being picked up in poor conditions, such as being very underweight. We at PCHS believe in keeping families together, and want to offer our support to those facing some of the toughest decisions, such as rehoming their pet simply due to financial concerns. We are hopeful that Arlo’s Pantry will aid in keeping families together and pets fed.”
The Details
Arlo’s Pantry will open for the first time on Thursday, March 6th, at 11am until 2pm, and will continue to be open every Thursday and Friday at that same time. Arlo’s Pantry will be located in our new shelter addition at 17584 195th Ave, Glenwood, MN 56334. Arlo’s Pantry will be starting with only offering cat and dog food, but we will be tracking other pet food needs in the community and expanding into food types as needs arise. We will be serving only Pope County residents to begin, but hope to expand our reach as the program grows.
Arlo’s Pantry is free of cost to participants; no pre-registration is required, and visitors are required to fill out only a basic information form on their first visit. Email PCHSpets@gmail.com with questions, and visit our website, pchsmn.org, for more information.
If you are interested in supporting Arlo’s Pantry, we will be accepting cat and dog food–and monetary donations–to keep our shelves full. Food donations can be dropped off at the Pope County Humane Society between 9 am and 6 pm, Tuesdays through Sundays. Monetary donations can be made via our online giving platform at https://givebutter.com/ArlosPantry, or checks can be mailed to 17584 195th Avenue, Glenwood MN, 55634 with “Arlo’s Pantry” in the memo.
The Inspiration
In mid November, 2024, many members of our community became invested in the wellbeing of a stray dog seen wandering around a lakeside neighborhood with a chain around his neck. He was only spotted from afar at first, but even from a distance, one could tell that he probably hadn’t had a meal in awhile. Thanks to the continuous efforts of community members, he was finally caught and brought into a warm and loving home. Sadly his condition took a turn for the worse overnight, and the community member reached out to PCHS for help. Zoë Johnson and Meghan Bird, a lead kennel attendant at PCHS, went to pick him up. Before they even made it back to the shelter, it was determined he needed emergency medical care. Zoë first took this dog, who became known to the community as Arlo, to Blue Pearl in St. Cloud, and after many tests it was decided that he needed to be transferred to a larger hospital to be assessed by neurology. He was then taken to Blue Pearl in Golden Valley. Throughout this journey, we were keeping our community updated via social media, and thanks to many generous hearts, we were able to fully cover Arlo’s medical costs before the night had ended. After a hard year, with many malnourished dogs that came into our care, Arlo was the final push we needed to fully commit to the vision of our pet food pantry. Arlo sadly passed away due to the severity of his condition, but his memory will live on in the hearts of the community, and the full bellies of pets in need.