07/01/2025
We have an important announcement. It’s kind of lengthy, but please take the time to read it.
Happy Pets food bank will be opening again on 9th January 2pm-3pm, and the following week on 16th January, 1pm-3pm
However, This will be our last time opening.
After this we are officially closing down.
We started planning and creating HPFB over two years ago. 10th May 2023 we first opened our doors at Broadwater before moving to Strive 29th February 2024.
Since we started, we have given out tens of thousands of pet meals and products, helped to provide other local charities with pet food, contributed to the odd emergency vet bill, helped to rehome several animals and given advice and information to anyone who asked.
This has all been done without any official funding, and we have never taken a wage or expenses of any kind. We have had to fit running a charity in between full time work and running a household. Many man hours have been spent contacting companies, making collections, running fundraisers and drumming up support. Through all this we were fortunate enough to gather some wonderful independent supporters who we are so grateful for and couldn’t have done without. You know who you are, and please know that we are grateful!
We’ve been fortunate enough to have received some amazing guidance and support from the Blue Cross, The Pets at home foundation, The Pet Food Bank Alliance, RSPCA fylde and Helping Hearts Blackpool. Not forgetting our members of the local community running collection points and our volunteers who have stepped in (usually at short-notice) to run fundraisers or hand out food at various times. Vicki, Lily, Susan, Libby and CJ. Thank you.
We are just two regular people who saw a need and wanted to help. We had experience in charity volunteer work, animal rescue and fundraising but neither of us had any experience actually running a charity before. So this was certainly a learning curve, but one we think we have weathered largely successfully.
We have children, our house has been overrun with pet food on multiple occasions, we’ve had family illnesses to contend with and we’ve given up countless weekends and evenings to collect and organise donations. It’s not been easy but we do feel we’ve achieved some genuine good. With that being said, we feel that it’s time for us to take a step back and hand over the reins.
After our final opening day, we will divide our left over items, funds, contacts and food between local rescues, Helping Hearts in Blackpool and the RSPCA Fylde. Helping Hearts are open every Thursday night in Blackpool and will be taking on the responsibility as the main pet food bank for the area along with their already well established community food bank and hot meals. RSPCA Fylde not only rescues local animals in distress but runs an emergency pet food bank via application.
We are leaving you in good hands and will share more detailed information over the next few weeks about where the alternative help can be found.
We know this may come as a shock, disappointment and inconvenience to many of you. We are truly sorry for that. This hasn’t been a quick or easy decision. We have given our all to this over the last two years and have been brought to happy and sad tears many times through kind words, some not so kind words, stories of heartbreak and stories of success.
We’d love to see and say goodbye to some of our clients and supporters over the years, so please come along one last time and say "hi" on
Thursday 9th or 16th January at
Strive Fleetwood
Northfleet Avenue
Fleetwood
FY7 7ND.
We thank you for your support.
Jennifer and Daniel. X
