23/06/2026
A week ago, I thought we might miss our goal….
These past few weeks have been incredibly busy for our small team.
At the end of May, we launched our second Virtual Pet Food Drive to help ensure we can continue providing pet food relief through winter.
Unlike last year, the response wasn't immediate.
Three weeks into the campaign, we were falling well behind where we needed to be. And for the first time, I started wondering whether we'd have enough funding to keep up with the growing demand for pet food support through our coldest months.
You see, to us that goal was never just a number on a fundraising thermometer. Behind that number are real people and pets counting on us.
With donations dwindling, we're having to purchase more pet food than ever before to make sure vulnerable people aren't forced to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets. The demand for support has absolutely skyrocketed. We've been around for almost 11 years and, honestly, I've never seen anything like it.
The cost-of-living crisis is affecting all of us. For charities like ours, it's impacting us on two fronts. On one hand, we're seeing demand grow every single day. On the other, many of our wonderful supporters are feeling the pressure too.
We've had regular donations bounce due to insufficient funds. We've heard from supporters who have had to pause their giving altogether. Times are tough for so many people right now.
Then something changed.
Last week, we shared the story of Atreyu and Tim, a 60 year old man currently sleeping rough with his beloved 15 year old senior dog. Their story clearly touched many of you.
You commented on it. You shared it. You donated.
And before we knew it, we had reached our goal of 150,000 meals.
We were overjoyed. Knowing that we could keep our Pet Food Bank stocked over the coming months felt like a huge weight had been lifted. But when we sat down and looked at the numbers from last winter, we realised something important. Last year alone, we distributed 206,974 meals during the winter period.
So we decided to keep going. We set ourselves a bigger goal.
And then over the weekend, something incredible happened. You helped us reach our stretch goal too!
To say I am floored is an understatement. Thank you. Thank you.Thank you!!
Do I just sit back now that we’ve reached our goal? Never. While we were celebrating, I looked at our current waitlist.
There are 30 food relief organisations waiting to join our network of 78 community partners across Victoria. Every one of those organisations represents people who are struggling to feed their pets right now.
They're asking for help and we want to say yes but at the moment, we simply can't.
So today, I'm asking for your help one more time. Will you help us say yes to at least two organisations on our waitlist?
To do that, we need to raise additional funds to provide another 14,000 meals.
With just one week remaining until the end of the financial year, I know it's an ambitious goal. But if the past few weeks have shown me anything, it's that this community is capable of extraordinary things when people and pets need us most.
Because of you, more people can keep their beloved pets by their side during the toughest times in their lives.
Because of you, we can continue saying "yes" when help is needed.
And because of you, we can keep moving towards our vision of a future where no person is separated from their pet because of homelessness or hardship.
If you're able to make a tax-deductible gift before 30 June, I'd be so grateful for your support.
Together, let's get two more organisations off that waitlist - https://petsofthehomeless.au/oneweekleft
With love and gratitude,
Yvonne
Image description: Yvonne cradles a small dog in her arms inside the Pets Of The Homeless warehouse, while the relaxed pup gazes back at her with a content expression.
