SOUTHBRIDGE — Three volunteers and their work coach sat around a rectangular table in the community room of the Second Chance Animal Services building on Worcester Road, scooping dog food from a 50-pound sack and repackaging it into smaller bags.
“I like helping out with dogs and birds and cats who don’t have food at home,” said Chris, 51, a client at The Center of Hope in Southbridge. “I like to come in and help feed them through the dog food pantry.”
He was sitting with Bill, who joked about his name being Dr. Fiddle-Faddle, also 51, and Jack, 24, who diligently scooped the kibble into the smaller bags. While Jack has a fear of dogs and dislikes when they bark and make noise, he feels good about helping to feed them.
Cheryl Archambault, their work coach, was scooping alongside. The small group volunteers at the organization every Thursday to help redistribute the food and ensure as many families with animals as possible are supported by the donated food.
Both Center of Hope and Second Chance benefit from the arrangement. The clients scooping the food become accustomed to regular jobs and learning reliability, responsibility, social interaction skills and advocating for themselves in work situations. Second Chance benefits by having dependable volunteers who show up weekly.
But even though only four people were gathered around the table, there was some jockeying for position and rubbing of shoulders.
“We need more space,” said Lindsay Doray, chief development officer for Second Chance. The organization offers low-cost veterinary services, hosts vaccination clinics and participates in the state’s spay/neuter voucher program.
Second Chance, which supports three veterinary clinics including one in Worcester and a shelter, has launched a capital campaign for expanding its building in Southbridge.
That location is home to the organization’s pet food pantry, similar to those accessed by humans but focused on feeding animals, mostly dogs and cats. The center accepts donations for pet food and distributes it to other organizations and food pantries around the region.
“We work with 22 local food pantries. Some come to pick up the food, we deliver to others,” Doray said. The strategy ensures that residents who rely on food pantries to supplement their groceries can pick up pet food at the same time.
“People will forgo picking up their prescriptions, going to the doctor’s office, or even buying food for themselves in order to feed their pets,” Doray said.
The organization receives donations of pet food from many different sources. Sometimes a store will donate large bags of kibble nearing their expiration date or bags of food brands they have discontinued. Sometimes the company producing the kibble donates food; other bags come from private donors.
The center will repackage 50-pound bags of food into smaller containers to offer food to as many pet owners as possible.
“This bag of food will feed a chihuahua for a long time,” Doray said, pointing to a 50-pound bag of kibble on a shelf with several others in the garage. “But what about all the dogs that won’t get fed if we donate this bag to just one family?”
The smaller bags contain about 4 pounds of food, enough to supplement what a pet owner can afford.
Second Chance hopes to raise $250,000 for the project and is already a fifth of the way toward that goal. The project will expand the garage area to hold three vehicles and serve as the rebagging area and storage for donations and other supplies.
“We hope to break ground by Thanksgiving,” Doray said.
People are struggling financially, Doray said, adding that their pets are suffering. Many owners with no resources opt to surrender their pets to local shelters. Some release their pets into the neighborhood. “People don’t know what to do, they call around, shelters are full.”
Cats, Doray said, tend to get adopted rather quickly, dogs do not. “Dogs are in the shelter longer. We started our Rare Gems program to highlight those dogs who have been in our shelter for longer. We want to see them go home.”
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