"I want to thank you for the help we received last Saturday. We were among the people and pets you helped this past Saturday. Our financial situation is not unique - it, like so many others includes the loss of jobs and more and more dependency on public assistance.
We are still working our way through the maze of public assistance, and on Friday, March 6th, I met with a social worker at the FreeStore. While in the waiting room, my boyfriend read an advertisement for your pet pantry that was taped on the wall. Whats remarkable about that is that we had fed our dogs the last of the dog food that morning before leaving for our appointment.
Struggling to figure our own situation out, I hadn't even began to comprehend how I was going to provide for our dogs. We took one of the extra fliers home and ultimately came Saturday morning. I was greeted by a wonderful group of people who directed me to a place to park, provided me with the paperwork I needed to fill out - and even had extra pens for the patrons who didn't have one.
The line was to be expected - but ran smoothly and quickly. We only waited for about an hour - in which time we chatted with other people in line. Everyone was friendly, helpful and happy to help. When we were back in the car, on the way home, I had this super sense of relief - everyone in my house could eat a good dinner that night.
We even treated the dogs to one of the bone treats they received in the bag - and man, were they in heaven....a gift to them provided by the angels that volunteered and donated to make the distribution possible.
I also explained the event to my children over the weekend. They have asked that I inquire about volunteering - All of us would like to contribute in any way we can. My oldest daughter is also interested in finding out the details to raising donations. If you could contact me about any volunteer opportunities you have, I would appreciate it. You can either email me back or call.
Thank you for all that you do for the animals in our lives."

From: A Recipient of the March 6, 2010 Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry Distribution Day (1 of 140 Families that received assistance on March 6th)

"I was talking to my grandson (in the picture to the right) to try to Explain more about what we were doing so he understood. Their beloved Family dog is a wonderful boxer mix named Riley. She means the world to Them. I said 'If you didn't have any food or money and could not buy food For Riley and she was very hungry - if someone gave you food for her, Wouldn't that be nice?' His eyes (and his sister Dani's) got as big as Saucers and they were both very thoughtful and then they both chimed in 'YES!' with big smiles on their faces. I then said, 'Well, that is what You are helping to do for someone who will need food for their pet." It Was amazing how important this was to those two precious children and how Easily they understood kindness. Thanks for this opportunity."

Linda Y. - Cincinnati, OH

"Our family wanted to express to you the wonderful feeling we had in participating in the Pet Food Drive on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Kroger's store in Anderson Station on Beechmont Avenue. My children, Steven (8 yrs. old ) and Jessica (6 yrs. old) enjoyed talking to the many faces we saw and telling them of how people could not afford to feed their beloved animals. We were warmly welcomed on what a great cause we were helping out with. Many people told us "God bless you all for helping the animals." Many others also just said "thank you" for giving of your time. This is something our family is near and dear to because we are animal lovers. We ourselves have a mixed breed dog named Rocky who is part Collie/German Shepherd. We were so moved by doing this that we want to continue to help out at other pet drives throughout the year We may have even encouraged others to help out as well. Thank you Pet Alliance for giving us such satisfaction in a job well done!

Many Thanks,
Lisa H. for Mark, Steven and Jessica