After one day, a Metro Atlanta pet food drive for animals affected by Hurricane Harvey has expanded its operation to keep up with donations.
The campaign began Wednesday and already people have given an estimated 2,000 pounds of animal supplies, according to Pets Are Loving Support (PALS) Atlanta, the group leading the effort.
The storm made landfall on coastal Texas on Friday night. Since then, record-breaking rains and flooding have killed more than 30 people in the Houston metro area.
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Chip Moore, director of PALS, said they are looking for dog food, cat food and cat litter.
Small and medium bags are preferable to the gigantic sizes, as it’s easier to transport and distribute more compact bags.
The drop-off locations will collect until Monday night. The donations will be packaged on Tuesday, sorted on Wednesday and delivered soon after, Moore said.
The group started with four donation spots the first day but has grown to nine.
In addition to the 2,000 pounds of public donations, Daffy’s Soup Kitchen in Lawrenceville and Community Outreach Program of the Rescue Ranch in Rutledge have given 30 pallets of food and supplies, PALS said.
Trucking companies have donated the use of four semi-trucks to deliver the goods.
A local Best Friends Animal Society office will coordinate getting the food and litter to Austin Pets Alive, which will send resources to where they’re needed most in Texas.
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Most of the donations will go to shelters overwhelmed by the number of abandoned animals. What’s left will go to makeshift camps where people have brought their pets.
Although a good problem to have, PALS is now looking for a larger warehouse space to hold all of the donations.
“The current facility that has been donated will not be large enough to support the amount of donations flowing in,” the organization said in a Thursday email update.
You can contact the group at 404-876-7257 (PALS).
The drop-off points are below:
• PALS Atlanta office (van near blue tent in parking lot)
1542 Monroe Drive in Atlanta
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Georgia SPCA
1175 Buford Highway in Suwanee
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Cherokee County Animal Shelter
1015 Univeter Road in Canton
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Good Mews Animal Foundation
3805 Robinson Road in Marietta
Saturday only from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office
2900 University Parkway in Lawrenceville
24 hours a day
• Sassy Paw Pets Boutique
1105 Parkside Lane in Woodstock
10 to 6 p.m.
• Tractor Supply - Winder
10 Plaza Drive in Winder
8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Harry Norman Realtors - Forsyth/Lake Lanier
1664 Market Place Boulevard in Cumming
• Athens Area Humane Society
1781 Mars Hill Road in Watkinsville
Noon to 6 p.m.
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