Don’t Forget to Feed Me

Pet Food Bank

By Katrina McDowell on Aug 8, 2023 in Giving

Yardi is committed to supporting the community in every city where our offices are housed. Each year, the company distributes philanthropic aid to organizations selected by its employees.

In 2022, Yardi offices supported more than 350 nonprofits worldwide. For the remainder of the year, we will bring you the stories of those organizations and insight into how they aid their communities.

Today we introduce you to, Don’t Forget To Feed Me (DF2FM) Pet Food Bank, founded 2008 in Fort Worth, Texas. DF2FM aims to supply pet food to local agencies to support pet owners. By providing pet food for those in need during challenging financial times, DF2FM offers an alternative to surrendering or abandoning their family pet. They provide free pet food to 35 distribution partners in greater Fort Worth.

“Don’t Forget To Feed Me helps to ensure that no pet owner ever has to choose between stay or go…,” says Debbie Sharpe, community outreach coordinator for DF2FM.

Don’t Forget To Feed Me strives to provide enough dog and cat food for its partner’s needs for distribution to deserving pet owners. Each partner has a pre-determined monthly amount, and DF2FM keeps a running waitlist of organizations wishing to partner with them.

“We review all potential partner requests during the last quarter of each year to determine if we can add new partners the next year,” Sharpe said.

Funding from Yardi enables DF2FM to purchase thousands of pounds of pet food that is then distributed. They currently distribute over 30,000 pounds of pet food to its partners monthly. In addition to the donated food DF2FM receives, they must purchase additional food from local feed stores at a discounted price regularly to meet the community’s needs.

“We are beyond grateful for the continued support of Yardi and the enthusiasm of Yardi employees towards DF2FM,” shared Sharpe.

Ruff times

DF2FM recently received a call from a pet owner at the shelter getting ready to surrender their pet due to unforeseen financial hard times. The shelter staff informed the pet owner that Don’t Forget to Feed Me provides free pet food to several local food pantries. They decided against surrendering and contacted one of DF2FM’s partners to receive much-needed pet food, enabling them to keep their beloved pet.

Volunteer Oppawuntities

Volunteering options include small group dog and cat food bagging at DF2FM’s Fort Worth warehouse. In addition, DF2FM is always looking for volunteers to work its table at community events to help spread the word about DF2FM. Another need is for volunteers to pick up donated food from 70+ donation locations across the metroplex and deliver it to the warehouse. Many organizations will also hold internal pet food drives and either donate the collected food directly to DF2FM or hold an offsite bagging event at their workplace and return the pet food bagged and ready to go. Those interested should contact [email protected] for more information.

DF2FM’s pet food distribution numbers in 2023 are already 31 percent more than last year. The need continues to grow as people are struggling to overcome financial challenges.

“We truly appreciate the support of all who value the well-being of beloved pets,” shares Sharpe.

Find future non-profit profiles at https://www.yardi.com/blog/category/giving.