Woman creates pet food bank to help 200 owners as cost of living spirals – Express

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An animal lover has set up a pet food bank in a desperate bid to stop cats and dogs being abandoned on the street amid the cost of living crisis.
Tyesha Muncaster, 24, has helped hundreds of animals since creating A Helping Paw Pet Food Bank in July.

But a record number of pets are still being abandoned on the streets and outside rescue centres.
Research carried out by Dogs Trust has revealed that a third of owners in the UK are finding it more difficult to give their dogs all they need.
Tyesha, who works in digital marketing, has been overwhelmed with the positive reaction to her initiative.
“We’ve helped over 200 animals since July. I’ve been overwhelmed by people’s kindness and the positive reaction,” Tyesha told Daily Mirror.
“We welcome all animals from cats and dogs to rabbits and even a bearded dragon.
“One woman was thinking about putting her pet down – she thought it was the nicest thing to do because she couldn’t feed it.
“It’s awful that people can’t see any other alternative and I’m just glad we can help them.”

Tyesha, from Ashington, Northumberland, got the idea for a pet food bank after posting a Facebook status offering local cat owners some leftover kitten pouches.
Her two cats, Oreo and Milo, had moved onto adult food and she thought someone would be able to make use of the remaining pouches, instead of throwing them away.
She continued: “I realised there was a high demand out there for pet food.
“Now, one day I would love to go national and open hubs across the UK to help as many people as possible. I want to be the pet food bank everyone thinks about when they’re in need.”
Users are limited to two visits a month and are supplied with a weeks worth of food at a time. All people need to do is message the Facebook page or get in touch on the website to receive a free food package.
Tyesha and her small team of volunteers help approximately 30 people a week, some with numerous different pets.

Some users have found themselves reaching out to her near the end of the month, as they struggle to make ends meet before payday.
So Tyesha is appealing for donations – both food and money – and volunteers to deliver packages or store stock in hubs.
“Volunteers will put a package together for a week then deliver directly or users will come and collect,” Tyesha explained.
“We have 14 volunteers and two main volunteers who pour everything into this.”
Alongside juggling a full-time job as an SEO strategist, Tyesha has been working day and night collecting and delivering food packages across Northumberland.
Cash donations help Tyesha to buy pet food when stocks are running low and also supplies specialist food for pets with allergies or dietary needs.

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