A CROWTHORNE pet shop is calling for donations of pet food and accessories following the launch of its pet food bank.
Best Friends Pet Store, located in Crowthorne High Street, created the Berkshire Pet Food Bank earlier this month to help pet owners who are struggling amidst the cost of living crisis.
Ridwan Sai, owner of the store which opened earlier this year, was determined to start the cause after learning of people giving up their pets due to affordability.
Mr Sai said: “I was just looking on BBC News and saw reports from Dogs Trust and the RSPCA about the amount of dogs that have been given up just purely because people can’t afford to feed them.
“Of course there’s lots of news about food banks for people and I kind of put two and two together and thought ‘actually, yes, it’s a great idea’.”
As a dog-owner himself, Mr Sai said he couldn’t imagine being forced to make a decision over keeping his dog.
He said: “The thought of having to give him up, if I didn’t have any money to feed him, it would destroy me so that was another motivation behind the idea.”
The pet food bank will provide for more than just dogs as there will be a range of items for cats and small pets like rabbits, gerbils and hamsters.
The cause has already received strong support from multiple organisations including rescue and rehoming charity, Cats Protection.
Mr Sai said: “We’ve had lots of organisations come to us.
“We had a meeting with Cats Protection and they are going to put a wish list on their website, which is really good.
“We’ve already had huge amounts of donations from vets and Cats Protection so we’re getting a lot of stuff in.”
The pet food bank will not be means tested so won’t require a referral or a voucher of any kind, it relies solely on honesty and community spirit.
This is to ensure people who need the support can get it when they need it.
Mr Sai said: “We know there are people who would choose to feed their pets over themselves.
“We are there for people who wouldn’t necessarily always ask for help.”
All brands of pet food will be welcomed by the food bank, the only criteria is that all items are still in date.
Mr Sai said: “There’s a lot of people, like me for instance with my dog, he’ll eat one type of food and then go off it and I’ll have to change it.
“So people have got lots of spare food that actually their pet doesn’t eat anymore.
“So why not give it to people that could use it instead of it just sitting in the cupboard.”
There are a number of donation points located around the borough, as well as the shop itself.
Best Friends Pet Store has also created an Amazon wishlist for anyone wanting to support the cause in a different way.
To view a list of wanted items, the drop-off locations or for more information, search Berkshire Pet Food Bank on Facebook or visit the store in person.
