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Keep Pets S.A.F.E.

(Supporting Animals Facing Emergencies)

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Click here to request pet food and supplies only

**FIRST, please read the below in its entirety to make sure that you qualify for the program.**

Do you find yourself having to decide whether or not you can keep your pet due to emergency medical, financial, or personal reasons?  If so, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) may be able to help!

ARL’s Keep Pets S.A.F.E program is offering the following emergency services for qualified residents of Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan during the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Deliver pet food and other essential pet supplies to clients’ homes and partner-supported community housing

  • Provide temporary emergency shelter for pets and offer pick up and return of the pet to their owner or a designated caregiver

  • Arrange for emergency surrender of pets with pick up service

ARL puppies in arms

To qualify for this program, you must:

To request assistance

Call the Keep Pets S.A.F.E. hotline at (857) 350-8730*, Monday – Saturday, 9AM – 5PM

 or

Click here to request pet food and supplies only

*Please note that we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes due to the high demand for critical pet supplies and services. We thank you for your patience.

ARL’s Keep Pets S.A.F.E. Program in Action

Hill's Food Logo

Thank you to Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love® Disaster Relief Network for generously supplying wet and dry dog and cat food for ARL’s Keep Pets S.A.F.E. Program.

Thank you to our Keep Pets S.A.F.E. collaborators

Petco Love logo

Thank you to Petco Love for generously supporting our community based programs. 

Action for Boston Community Development, American Humane Feed the Hungry Fund, the Banfield Foundation, Best Friends Animal Society & the Rachael Ray Save Them All COVID-19 Relief Grant, Boston Senior Care Home Care, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Loyal Companion, Mayor Walsh and the City of Boston, PetSmart Charities, and especially donors like you!

Keep Pets F.E.D. Community Challenge

Collect critically needed pet food and see who can keep the most pets F.E.D.!

Are you a business looking to engage your colleague in a cause they care about, a school group looking for ways to show students the importance of giving back, a religious organization or church looking to help the community, or a family, scout troop, or other interest group who wants to show some love for animals? Then this challenge is for you!

It’s easy!

By category, the groups who drop off the most pet food will get special recognition, an award, and bragging rights!  The group that gathers the most overall will also win an ARL shirt signed by players from the New England Revolution!

The need is greater than ever. The number of pet meals we provided to the community last year increased by more than 20% and we have already received more than 380 calls to our hotline this year. 

Our resources have been pushed to the limit and we urgently need your help to Keep Pets F.E.D. (Full Every Day)!

We need unopened, unexpired, shelf-stable pet food including:

  • Dry cat food (13+ lb bags) – URGENT NEED
  • Canned cat food (all varieties) – URGENT NEED
  • Small bites or small breed dry dog food – URGENT NEED
  • Dry dog food (all sizes)
  • Canned dog food (all varieties)
  • Dry Kitten Food
  • Canned kitten food
  • Dry Puppy Food
  • Canned Puppy Food
  • Dry cat food (all sizes)
dog and kitten eating

Donations may be purchased online through

Amazon Wish List
Chewy Wish List

FAQs

I am not sure which category I should sign up for

We are offering the following 7 registration types with a friendly competition and a prize within each category:

      1. Corporate Group
      2. College or University
      3. High School (grades 9, 10, 11, 12)
      4. Middle School (grades 5, 6, 7, 8)
      5. Elementary School (Kindergarten through 4th grade)
      6. Religious or Community Group
      7. Other Interest Group (families, scout troops, clubs, etc)

Corporate groups are best for coworkers and your workplace; student groups should align with the average grade of the students and can include student clubs; religious and community groups can include churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other places of worship; other interest groups may include any group of folks with a common interest or love of animals.

What items do you need?

We need unopened, unexpired, shelf-stable pet food including:

      • Dry cat food (13+ lbs bags are best)
      • Canned cat food (all varieties)
      • Small bites or small breed dry dog food
      • Dry dog food (all-sized)
      • Canned dog food (all varieties)
      • Dry and canned kitten or puppy food

More specific items are listed on our Amazon and Chewy wish lists.

How will you determine the winners?

There are 7 group categories and one winner will be selected from each group based on total donations. One grand prize will be chosen from those top 7. We will rely on diligent and honest tracking on our donation form to determine which groups collected the most items.

What can I win?

In addition to the wonderful feeling of giving back to people and pets, winning groups will get special recognition on ARL’s social media (140,400+ reach), ARL’s website, be included in our post-event press release and be given a certificate.  The group that collects the most pet food will also receive an ARL swag bag and an ARL shirt signed by players from the New England Revolution!

Does my group need to collect physical items or can we purchase from the wish lists?

Groups are encouraged to collect items in the way that works best for them! If you or other group members are shopping our wish lists, please attach your receipts to the tracking document.

Is it ok if my group collects items for just part of the drive period?

Yes! Any donations collected between 9/1 and 9/30 will count, but you can collect on any day or days during that period.

Can I collect items outside of the drive period?

Yes! Donations of food for Keep Pets F.E.D. are always needed. However, to keep the friendly competition fair, we ask that you only track donations collected from 9/1 through 9/30.

Can we collect financial donations in addition to pet food?

Yes! Financial donations can make a huge impact. We can accept cash and checks made out to “The Animal Rescue League of Boston”. Please mail collected donations to: Animal Rescue League of Boston, ATTN: F.E.D. Challenge, 10 Anna’s Place, Dedham, MA 02026

You can also start a peer-to-peer fundraiser by making a team on our fundraising page.

Can we get a group photo when we drop off our items?

Our ability to take photos of all groups is extremely limited. To arrange for a photo in advance, please contact info@arlboston.org

Can we get a tour of the Animal Care & Adoption Center when we drop off our items?

Our ability to offer tours is extremely limited. Please inquire about tours by contacting info@arlboston.org 30 days in advance. Tours will be given on a first-come, first-served basis, may need to be scheduled for a future date, and may not be offered based on availability.

Can I share this opportunity with others?

Yes! Helping to spread the word can help ensure we meet our ambitious goal.  You can help by:

      • Downloading the Keep Pets F.E.D. marketing toolkit
      • Sharing the drive flyers, e-newsletters, and social media posts with family, friends, and your social networks