Pet food and commodity distribution

Superstorm Sandy A case study

Superstorm Sandy Best Practices• Effective large-scale pet response cannot be

accomplished by any single entity

• Commodity distribution of donated pet food and supplies• 421 tons of donated pet food/supplies was distributed in

WV, PA, NY, and NJ

• Multi-agency coordination and participation by all partners essential

• Partnerships helped ensure success of mission

Superstorm Sandy Best Practices• Pet food distribution

• Donations from national manufacturers coordinated through one Point of Contact

• The HSUS partnered with St. Hubert’s to provide distribution throughout counties in NJ

• ASPCA leased warehouse space and provided logistical support for the pet food distribution center

• PetSmart Charities provided volunteers to break down large bags of pet food into 1 gallon (dog) and 1 quart (cat) food bags

• American Red Cross distributed pet food in NY with bulk supplies

• Lessons learned from distribution of food/supplies– Pet Parents who were unable to evacuate were

given resources to provide for the whole family

– Sense of continuity

– Pet retention increased leaving shelters unburdened by large numbers of surrendered pets

– Cost savings by feeding/sheltering in place

Superstorm Sandy Best Practices

• Multi-agency coordination is essential to effectively meeting pets mission needs:

• Presence at EOC• Animal “whole community” has tremendous

capacity if integrated effectively into response• Collaboration among all partners is key to

effective coordination with states• Pet food distribution and other pet commodity

distribution was efficient & successful in meeting needs of disaster survivors

Superstorm Sandy Best Practices

Contacts

Wanda Merling

Senior Manager, Disaster Response Program

Animal Cruelty, Rescue and Response Team Phone: 240.753.4352

wmerling@humanesociety.org