The Carroll County Humane Society is committed to continuing to support companion animals and their families in the local community during this difficult time. Therefore, we are announcing changes to our Empty Pet Bowl pet food pantry program, so that we can continue to distribute food to those who need it.
Starting on Thursday, March 26th, our headquarters (102 Tuggle Street) will be open ONLY from noon until 2 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, We will be able to distribute dog and cat food any time we are open. This is change from our previous schedule, when food was given out only on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.
With this new schedule, we encourage clients to come at different times, so there is never a crowd. We cannot allow more than 10 people in our parking lot at a time. Clients are not allowed into the building. To obtain food, knock on the front door, but remain outside. A volunteer will come to the door, question you about your need (whether you need dog food or cat food; sorry, no cat litter available at this time), and place your food outside the door. We ask that no more than two people come to the door together. If there is someone at the door when you arrive, please maintain safe six-foot social distancing while you wait your turn. PLEASE do not come if you have been in contact with someone with the Covid-19 virus or if you have a fever or are otherwise unwell.
We will record your name and address at the time of pick-up We will provide food to current EPB clients, those on the EPB waiting list, and those who have been financially impacted by the current pandemic and need help feeding their animals (even if you have never been a part of the EPB program before). We do not want animals to go hungry because of this virus.
Please be patient as we work through this new process, as we strive to keep our volunteers as well as our clients safe and well. We will be wiping down door handles and other surfaces throughout the day. We will be practicing social distancing and ask that you do the same.
We ask that you do not attempt to pick up food more than once in a two-week period. We will be issuing single bags of food, which we recognize is not always enough to feed all the animals in a household for an entire month. We do our best to help as many as possible, so we have to spread out limited resources in the most equitable way possible.
We also limit distribution to one pick-up for household. For example, a mother and daughter living at the same address cannot both pick up food in the same two week period even if they each have pets. ALSO, we will only allow people to pick up for family or neighbors if they bring a note from that person. If you cannot appear in person for health reasons, you can send someone to pick up food on your behalf, but ONLY if we have written authorization from you listing both your name and address and the name and address of the person who is picking up food on your behalf.
Thank you for your cooperation. And thank you to the community for supporting our work. We depend on donations to cover the cost of Empty Pet Bowls, as well as the cost of our other support programs. We’re all in this together, and together we will continue to watch out for the companion animals who brighten our lives and who need our help.