Lawrenceville charity helps pet owners

Tina Lusnia has one dog, three cats, a few chickens, some other birds and no job.

The Buford woman turned to Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen, a nonprofit pet food bank, for help about a month ago.

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Pouya Dianat/Staff

Tom Wargo, who runs Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen, delivers food and pet supplies to people whose pets are in need. The Lawrenceville non-profit group now has a warehouse where pet owners can pick up items.

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“I haven’t been able to work, so things have been tight,” Lusnia said.

Daffy’s gave Lusnia the pet food she needed — all for free.

Many pet owners facing financial hardship have been forced to give up their animals because they can’t afford to care for them, said Tom Wargo, who spearheads the all-volunteer organization that is part of the SOS Club of Georgia.

“We help people out so they can keep their pets,” he said.

And now that Daffy’s has a warehouse to call home, it can extend the reach of its helping hand.

The 1,600-square-foot facility in Lawrenceville, which opened Sept. 6, houses a cornucopia of pet items, including dog and cat food, flea medication, cat litter, scratching posts, even beds for iguanas.

“It’s all free,” Wargo said. “[People] just need to come and get it.”

Becki Jo Sowers, executive director of Crossroads Foundation, a program for at-risk teens and rescued animals, recently collected about 300 pounds of food from Daffy’s.

Despite fuel shortages and the rising cost of gas, Daffy’s delivers to those who are sick or homebound.

Just ask Rick Tucher, who recently became disabled. For the past month, Daffy’s has dropped off enough food to feed his four dogs.

“They help out quite a bit,” Tucher said. “I had some fencing and pet crates that I donated to them. I scratch their back and they scratch mine.”

Daffy’s, which is named for Wargo’s dog, doesn’t just accept donations and hand out free food.

Recently, the organization started working in conjunction with Gwinnett County to rescue and register feral cats, and more importantly, control the population by getting them fixed, Wargo said.

“People who keep cats like feral ones can’t feed all these cats,” he said. “You’ll go out and find 600 cats, and 100 will be dead or sick.”

And beginning this month, Wargo, who works in construction, will help build a dog kennel at a domestic-abuse shelter so the pets of victims of violence can stay, too.

Lusnia now volunteers for the organization.

“Since I don’t have a job, this was a way to give back,” Lusnia said. “And it’s my way of helping other people.”

ABOUT DAFFY’S PET SOUP KITCHEN

• Services: In addition to pet food, Daffy’s offers medical services at discounted rates, a temporary pet-foster program and a program for homeless people with animals.

• Location: 2160 Oakland Industrial Court, Suite 100, Lawrenceville

• Hours: First and third Monday and Tuesday of each month from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.; second Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon

• More information: 404-345-6821 or daffyspetsoupkitchen.com