The Pet Pantry of Middle TN

04/25/2025

📢 Temporary Pause on New Requests

Due to a family emergency out of state, The Pet Pantry is temporarily pausing all new request submissions through our website. We will resume deliveries as soon as we’re able. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

If you are in urgent need of pet food or assistance, please consider reaching out to one of these local organizations:
• Nashville Humane Association – (615) 352-1010 | nashvillehumane.org
• Beesley Animal Foundation (Murfreesboro) – (615) 217-1030 | beesleyfoundation.com
• The Paw Pantry of Maury County –
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088451015533

We’ll post updates here when we’re able to resume deliveries. Thank you for your support and understanding. 🐾

04/25/2025

Also want to add: if you’d like to help but aren’t able to do any deliveries, you can donate to our charity’s Venmo to help with any deliveries that need to be made via DoorDash or Walmart (if no volunteers are available for those areas).

Use Venmo to connect with The Pet Pantry () - The Pet Pantry provides emergency pet food assistance to pet owners throughout Middle Tennessee who are facing financial difficulties.

04/24/2025

We know this isn’t our usual post, but kindness doesn’t stop with pets—it extends to people too. One of our dear friends, Haley, is going through a very tough time and is starting over with her two young daughters. She’s in need of some extra support right now, and we wanted to help rally the amazing, generous community that surrounds The Pet Pantry.

If you feel moved to help, here’s the link to her fundraiser. Even if you can’t give, a share means everything.

https://gofund.me/185d60bf

Thank you for always showing up with open hearts—for pets and people.

Our sweet friend Haley is going through an incredibly difficult trans… Marilyn Tidwell needs your support for Donate to Haley's Journey for Stability and Hope

04/22/2025

🥫 Food Insecurity in Middle Tennessee: The Ripple Effect on Pets

According to a poll conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in March 2024, 34% of families in Middle Tennessee reported experiencing food insecurity, meaning they’re often unsure where their next meal is coming from. But food insecurity doesn't just affect the people in these households — it deeply affects their pets, too.​

When budgets are stretched and tough choices must be made, pet food is often the first item to be cut. Families may begin rationing meals, skipping days, or giving pets scraps just to keep them fed. And in the most heartbreaking cases, they’re forced to surrender their beloved companions to shelters, not because they want to — but because they feel they have no other choice.

This is where The Pet Pantry steps in. By providing emergency pet food assistance to families in crisis, we’re helping to keep pets with the people who love them most — and easing the emotional and financial burden that food insecurity brings.

Every bowl we fill is a family kept whole.
Every bag of food is hope delivered to a doorstep.

But with nearly 1 in 3 families in Middle Tennessee facing these hardships, the need is overwhelming — and growing.

🙏 Your donation can help us meet that need.
Just $25 feeds one pet for an entire month.
Every dollar matters. Every meal matters. Every pet matters.

👉 Give today — and be the reason a family gets to stay together.

Donate Today!100% of your donation goes toward helping pets in Middle Tennessee get the food they need. Because E-FURRY-BODY deserves a full belly. 💚 Donate Now

04/11/2025

🚨 The Pet Pantry Request Form is LIVE again! 🚨

We've been working hard to revamp our request process, and we're excited to let you know that the assistance request form is now available once more!

If you are in need of emergency pet food assistance, please visit the link below to submit your request:
🔗 thepetpantry.org/get-help

Please remember:
✅ Assistance is available once per month per household
✅ Emergency assistance only — this is not meant to be a regular source of pet food.
✅ We cannot accommodate requests for specific brands or flavors — we can only provide what we have available. If this is not acceptable, we kindly suggest seeking assistance from another organization.
✅ At this time, we are only able to serve residents of Middle Tennessee. This includes the following counties:
• Bedford
• Cannon
• Cheatham
• Clay
• Coffee
• Davidson
• DeKalb
• Dickson
• Fentress
• Franklin
• Giles
• Grundy
• Hickman
• Houston
• Humphreys
• Jackson
• Lawrence
• Lewis
• Lincoln
• Macon
• Marshall
• Maury
• Montgomery
• Moore
• Overton
• Perry
• Pickett
• Putnam
• Robertson
• Rutherford
• Sequatchie
• Smith
• Stewart
• Sumner
• Trousdale
• Van Buren
• Warren
• Wayne
• White
• Williamson
• Wilson

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us via email at [email protected]. Thank you for your patience as we continue to support our community!

Guidelines for Assistance Requests:EligibilityAssistance is available to pet owners in Middle Tennessee facing financial hardship. Requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.Complete and Accurate InformationPlease fill out the form completely and accurately to help us process your request as quic...

04/04/2025

I still have deliveries available in the following areas if anyone wants to volunteer to make deliveries this weekend!

Ashland City (1 delivery)
Fayetteville (2 deliveries)
McMinnville (1 delivery)
Portland (1 delivery)
Waynesboro (1 delivery)
Woodbury (1 delivery)

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054CAAA929A6F9CE9-56104322-deliveries #/

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Cities with multiple deliveries will be listed multiple times, so you can choose one delivery from that city or all of them. You can sign up for as many deliveries in as many locations as you would like, but we ask that you....

04/03/2025

Okay, everyone! I've got the sign-up form for our first block of deliveries ready!

The Pet Pantry of Middle TN Deliveries are needed in the following cities:

Ashland City
Bon Aqua
Fayetteville
McMinnville
Murfreesboro
Portland
Shelbyville
Waynesboro
Woodbury

Cities with multiple deliveries will be listed multiple times, so you can choose one delivery from that city or all of them. You can sign up for as many deliveries in as many locations as you would like, but we ask that you please be sure you can commit before signing up. We will all meet in a central location on Friday, 04/04/25, so I can give you the food/supplies for your chosen deliveries. The meeting location will likely be in or around the Nashville area late Friday afternoon/early evening.

Deliveries will need to be made either Saturday, 04/05 or Sunday, 04/06. Please don't sign up unless you are positive that you will be able to follow through.

Thank you!!

Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Cities with multiple deliveries will be listed multiple times, so you can choose one delivery from that city or all of them. You can sign up for as many deliveries in as many locations as you would like, but we ask that you....

04/03/2025

It's always something, right?🤦‍♀️

Right now, we are dealing with a few different issues:

1. We've had an OVERWHELMING number of requests. They are coming in faster than I'm able to fulfill them and it's impossible to keep up.

2. I've been sick for the past 3 days and really haven't been able to do much of anything short of arranging DoorDash/Walmart delivery orders for urgent situations.

3. Many areas in Middle Tennessee are currently experiencing severe flooding.

4. We are running very low on funds, so that very much limits our ability to purchase supplies/get those supplies to recipients, one way or another. If you caught our segment on Local on 2 on Monday, you know that Bart Durham's law office gave us a check for $1000 (YAY!!!); However, because of the deposit hold at our bank, those funds won't be available until Monday.

‼️So, what's the plan?‼️

1. I'm disabling new requests on the site until we can get caught up. I hate doing that, but it has to be done to get back on track, unfortunately.

2. I'm going to be coordinating with volunteers to see who can make deliveries to which areas, and we will meet in a central location so I can get the requested items to them for delivery this weekend. Between all of us, we should be able to get on top of it, assuming we have all the supplies/funds for supplies we need. I'm going to put a google form together to make it easy for volunteers to sign up and choose which areas they want. I will post that as soon as it's ready.

3. I'm going to be updating our request form and implementing some new requirements for assistance. I really haven't wanted to do that and I've been putting it off for a while, but this is honestly a situation where a few ruin it for everyone. There are many people who are treating this like they're placing an order from Amazon and that's not what this is. The Pet Pantry isn't just me giving out free pet food and supplies. It is designed and intended to be used for EMERGENCY situations ONLY. I've been incredibly lenient, but this is absolutely not sustainable and has to stop. If this continues even after changes are made, I may seriously consider shutting TPP down for good. So please, only use this resource as intended.

4. We, of course, need donations. We always (and will always) need a continuous stream of donations to keep going. Please donate if you can, and maybe even consider a recurring monthly donation. If you know anyone who owns a local business, maybe talk to them about the possibility of a donation/sponsorship. Remember that as a 501(c)(3) organization, all donations made to The Pet Pantry are tax deductible. The quickest way to get funds to us is always via our charity's venmo at venmo.com/thepetpantry and donations can also be made on our website at thepetpantry.org/donate-now.

In 12 days from now, we will have officially been operating for a year! I have no intention of stopping now! There will always be obstacles, but we'll get through them together!

04/01/2025

🚨 Important Update from The Pet Pantry 🚨

We are experiencing an overwhelming number of pet food requests, and donations have once again slowed down. As much as we wish we could help everyone, we must prioritize true emergency situations to ensure we can continue assisting pets in crisis.

📌 Please remember:
🐾 Submitting a request is NOT the same as placing an order. The Pet Pantry is a volunteer-run nonprofit that provides short-term, EMERGENCY pet food assistance—we are not a primary or ongoing source of pet food.

🐾 An emergency request means you are completely out of food or will be within days, with no other options available. If you have food remaining or can access other resources, we ask that you allow us to focus on those in urgent need.

🐾 Requests are limited to once every 30 days so we can help as many pets as possible.

🐾 We rely 100% on donations to continue our mission. Without donations, we cannot provide food.

📩 If you have an outstanding request with us, please check your email! You should have received a message from [email protected] requesting more information so we can determine urgency. Failure to respond may delay or prevent your request from being fulfilled.

💙 If you would like to support pets in need, please consider donating. Every bag of food, every dollar, and every share of this post helps us continue this work!

We appreciate your understanding and support as we navigate these challenges. Thank you for helping us keep pets fed and with the families who love them! 🐶🐱💙

📍 Donate here: thepetpantry.org/donate-now

03/31/2025

I'll be on Local on 2 this afternoon to talk about The Pet Pantry! The show airs live from 2-3pm on WKRN News 2! Tune in to catch the special guest I'm bringing with me!

03/30/2025

I was put in a very unsettling and potentially unsafe situation last night while out making deliveries, and I need to address that and make everyone aware of some new guidelines and changes going forward.

I try to make getting help when you need it as easy as possible. I don't impose any criteria that must be met to make someone eligible for assistance from The Pet Pantry. I don't ask for ID, proof of income, proof of spay/neuter, etc like many other programs do, though this has me reconsidering that.

✔️ Going forward, if you submit a request for assistance:

✔️ You MUST provide YOUR OWN address and contact information.

✔️ If for some reason you have to use someone else's address, or if you are submitting a request on behalf of someone else, this MUST be clearly stated, and the person/people at the address MUST be aware of the request and expected delivery before it is submitted.

❌Failure to follow these or any of our other guidelines will result in permanent ineligibility.

In addition, effective immediately, deliveries will NO LONGER be made after dark. This applies to both myself and any volunteers making deliveries on behalf of The Pet Pantry. I travel across all of Middle Tennessee making deliveries, usually alone, and I cannot continue making late-night deliveries in unfamiliar or unsafe areas. I don't want to be in a situation like this again, and I won't let it happen to any of our volunteers either.

I love being able to do this, and I am deeply committed to helping pets stay with their families during hard times, but the safety of myself and our volunteers must be a priority so we can continue this work.

I appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping The Pet Pantry safe and sustainable. Thank you for your support. ❤️🐾

03/29/2025

I don’t have my car back yet, but 42 pets need food today and I definitely can’t afford to send door dash and Walmart deliveries exclusively, so I’ve got the loaner packed up and hoping for the best! Today’s deliveries are literally ALL OVER Middle Tennessee, and I got a bit of a late start, so I’d better get going! I’ve got 8 hours of driving ahead of me!

03/26/2025

I need to start planning fundraising events for this year, and I’d love to know the kind of events you’d like to see us do. One thing at the top of my list that I would love to do is a “Dinner with Your Dog” event like the one the Nashville Humane Society does every year. Is that something you’d be interested in attending?

What else do you think we should do??

03/23/2025

Well, we didn’t win Old National Bank’s Choose Your Charity giveaway, but the money went to some amazing causes. One day!!

Old National Donates $190,000 in Choose your Charity Grants to Tennessee Nonprofits EVANSVILLE, IND. (NASDAQ: ONB) Old National Bancorp (Old National) in March donated $190,000 through its Choose Your Charity program. ONB put the power in the Tennessee communities hands as they voted for their favor...

03/23/2025

As many of you know, one of my backseat warmers caught on fire on my way home Friday night. I brought my car to the dealership yesterday morning and they’re keeping my car to determine whether it’s safe to just replace the seat and give it back to me or if they need to hold onto it indefinitely. Luckily, Infiniti is taking the issue very seriously, but I am now left without a car. I did get a loaner from the dealership, but it’s not something I can put a lot of miles on, obviously.

I’ve got all of this weekend’s deliveries taken care of, and I’m hoping to have an answer about my car by the end of the week so I can plan accordingly. In the meantime, I will be utilizing a combination of volunteers*, DoorDash, and Walmart deliveries to fulfill requests. I’ll keep you all updated!

*Please note that all of our food and supplies are stored in my garage in Charlotte. Because of this, in many cases it is more economical for me to arrange for delivery services instead of spending the money and time for someone to drive all the way from somewhere like Fayetteville to Charlotte and back again just to drop off one bag of cat food. So whichever method makes the most sense both time and money-wise is the method I’ll always go with.

03/22/2025

And the hits just keep coming.

Deliveries may be a bit delayed tomorrow, as my back seat caught on fire tonight and I need to go to the dealership to get this figured out.

Don't worry - If I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to you personally, I’ll arrange for a DoorDash or Walmart delivery. You WILL get what you need, I promise!

03/21/2025

Happy Friday, everyone! Sorry we've been so quiet this week; two of my dogs were seriously injured by another dog over the last couple of days (one on each day!), so the pet pantry crew has had a lot going on. Deliveries will still be made this weekend, so no worries there.

How has your week been??

03/15/2025

Spring is on the way and with it comes this terrible, gross weather. Since our area is currently under 3 severe weather advisories, I’m playing it safe and arranging for today’s deliveries to be fulfilled via delivery services. This is why we have a budget for operational expenses…you never know what Tennessee weather might have in store for us, and I have to be sure everyone gets what they need as safely and as efficiently as possible.

Hope everyone is staying dry and safe out there! How are you spending this stormy Saturday? Tell us in the comments!