Bamberg County Receives 26 Pallets of Pet Supplies and Food to Assist Elderly Pet Owners

Posted by 05/29/2024 Categories: Bamberg County Airport Bamberg County Emergency Services bamberg south carolina city of bamberg south carolina community community service environment government litter pickup local government pet owners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To: News Media

From: Bamberg County Administration

Date: February 5, 2024

Re: Bamberg County Receives 26 Pallets of Pet Supplies and Food to Assist Elderly Pet Owners

Bamberg, South Carolina (January 2024) – Thanks to a partnership between Ruthie Rish, Executive Director of Mary Ann Morris Animal Shelter (MAMAS), and Bamberg County Animal Control, a truck containing 26 pallets of donated pet food and supplies arrived in Bamberg last week as part of a nationwide alliance between the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Chewy, Inc., an online retailer of pet food and other pet-related products. Ms. Rish and Bamberg County Animal Control applied for the grant last year.

According to HSUS SC State Director Janell Gregory, Bamberg was the third 2024 Chewy Truck recipient in the state. Chewy donates the supplies and food, and HSUS pays for associated shipping costs and coordinates the deliveries. In this particular instance, Bamberg County leaders are partnering with the Bamberg County Office on Aging to distribute the pet products to elderly pet owners. Animal Control Officer Ginny Mitchell, MAMAS Director Ruthie Rish, Bamberg Litter Control Officer Pharrell Pulaski, and Bamberg City Animal Control representative Jonathan Edgemon were all on site to welcome the Chewy Truck and receive the pet products.

Ms. Gregory explained, “The HSUS and Chewy partnership is designed to help keep pets in homes. This program was started during COVID to help families struggling to provide for their pets, especially in marginalized communities. In the wake of the pandemic, many pet owners were faced with having to surrender their pets due to lack of resources, so this program was created to help provide those resources and keep pets in homes where they belong. Last year, HSUS brought over 2 million dollars in donations to South Carolina through this program. We have worked with over 20 different partners from each region of our state to ensure we are serving as many communities as possible.”

Bamberg Office on Aging Executive Director Kay Clary was pleased Bamberg was selected to receive the donation: “This is a great opportunity for so many people in Bamberg County. We serve many pet owners and have volunteers who feed a lot of these animals during the week. With inflation, it has gotten much harder to feed these pets, and the Humane Society and Chewy donation is much needed and appreciated. I’m so excited to get this started.”

County Council Chairman Evert Comer, Jr. said, “Bamberg County extends our heartfelt gratitude to the Humane Society and Chewy for their generous donation of 26 pallets of animal food. Their support is invaluable in helping us care for and nourish our furry friends. We are thankful for this positive impact on the well-being of animals in need.”

“This is such an important service because our pets are an integral part of our families, and the Chewy pet products will help keep many Bamberg families intact. We are so thankful to everyone involved in this project,” said County Administrator Joey Preston.

Details regarding the disbursement of the pet products will be forthcoming.

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For more information on this press release, email info@bambergcounty.sc.gov.