Image: Supplied by Jackie Smith, used with permission / Chelsea Hiebert (left) and Julie Chadwick (right) stand next to cases of donated food products ahead of this weekend's free pet food distribution event happening this Saturday, December 16 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of G.W. Graham, 45955 Thomas Road, in Chilliwack. The event is completely free. Come on down to get wet and dry food pet food products for your furry friends (cats) or man's best friend (dogs).  
Free pet food drive in Chilliwack

Free pet food drive for cats and dogs happening this Saturday in Chilliwack

Dec 13, 2023 | 9:31 AM

CHILLIWACK — Assorted businesses and companies have stepped forward to generously support a pet food drive in which free pet food products will be given away this coming weekend in Chilliwack.

The free pet food drive for cats and dogs will happen this Saturday, December 16 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot of G.W. Graham Secondary, 45955 Thomas Road, in a drive-through format.

There will be enough pet food to accommodate literally hundreds of pets.

Chilliwack resident Jackie Smith says momentum for this pet food drive began when Raylene Mumford from the Chilliwack Free Store program disseminated a message stating she wanted to start a cold season initiative pets. It certainly helped matters when Smith and her daughter, Julie Chadwick, organized a pet food drive for the Yarrow Food Hub and collected 50 bags/cases of pet food in three weeks. Julie Chadwick and Raylene Mumford’s daughter, Chelsea Hiebert, have been spearheading this pet food drive for approximately five weeks and hope to see it succeed.

“Animals need help over Christmas, too,” Smith said. “Hampers from various churches and the Salvation Army help, but the four-legged friends often are overlooked.”

Smith says there will be enough pet food products to accommodate up to 1,500 pets, with a goal of attracting at least 500 people to the event.

“Well, we started handing out emails that went into shops,” Smith said. “Our first reply was Tri V foods. They gave us 15 cases, which was a huge start, but we were asked to contact the owner, which we did, and he filled our truck with 100 more cases!”

From there, the generous sponsors began to multiply. Fergie’s Doggie Delight Bakery contributed 210 dog cookies, First Mate pitched in 10 bags of dog food, Now & Go! contributed 1,200 pounds of pet food, Real Canadian Superstore and the downtown Chilliwack Save-On-Foods contributed $100, Heart and Soul Dog and Cat Rescue of British Columbia donated an entire truck full of products, and Sea of Trees Tattoo & Barber contributed $350 worth of cat and dog food, along with numerous donations from locals in town and from our Amazon wish list.

“With all this good, we want to invite anyone who needs some dog or cat food over the holidays to pop on over to our drive-thru pickup on Saturday, December 16,” Smith said. “We have food for large and small dogs plus cat food. We will have a bag for each family that will include wet food and treats for your pets while supplies last. A special thanks to the team of Marieke, Andrea, Catherine and Anita for helping us bag all this up.”

There will be Christmas lights and signs along Thomas Road this Saturday to alert people to the free pet food drive. Chips and water will also be handed out, Smith said, thanks to a grant from the United Way by way of Chilliwack resident Teri Westerby.

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