Pet Food and Everyday Help

← Help My Pet

If you need food, supplies, boarding or help keeping up with everyday care, start with a local search. Services differ by location and may have eligibility or capacity limits.

Search near you

View our Pet Help Finder resource. Enter your city or ZIP code and choose “Food Pantry and Supplies” or “Boarding and Services.” Contact a listed provider to confirm what it can offer and when.

Free pet food pantries in Southern California

These programs give free pet food to families who qualify. Each serves a specific area, so check eligibility for your address before you go.

• LA Animal Services Pet Food Pantry · City of Los Angeles. Free dog and cat food for enrolled LA City households experiencing financial hardship.
• OC Animal Care Family Fur-st Pet Food Pantry · Orange County. Monthly drive-through pet-food assistance at OC Animal Care in Tustin.
• Pasadena Humane Helping Paws · Pasadena and nearby service cities, including Altadena, Arcadia, Glendale, Monrovia and South Pasadena. Request food and supplies, or ask about low-cost vaccines and spay/neuter.

Outside Southern California

STARelief offers pet-food assistance and emergency boarding or foster help nationally, alongside its veterinary-care grants. Confirm current limits directly. Banfield Foundation’s directory also lists food-assistance programs state by state.

• Feeding Pets of the Homeless location map · National map of pet food and supply providers and pet-friendly shelters. Free to search; call the provider before you go to confirm what they have.
• Meals on Wheels pet support · Many local Meals on Wheels programs deliver pet food to homebound older adults, generally 60 and over, and some help with vet care or supplies. Find your local provider by ZIP code and ask about pet services.
• Humane World for Animals’ pet-owner resource list · Links to pet food pantry finders, 211 and other local search tools, and state-by-state assistance lists.
• Ask your local human food bank too. Some stock pet food alongside groceries.

Help keeping your pet at home

If food, housing, behavior or another barrier is putting your pet’s home at risk, ask for help before considering surrender. DACC Pets Are Family (Los Angeles County service area) can talk through food, supplies, housing-related barriers and behavior support. Pasadena Humane’s Helping Paws program, listed above, also focuses on keeping pets with their families.

California’s Central Coast

C.A.R.E.4Paws lists pet-food and supply pickup points in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. View our C.A.R.E.4Paws resource. Check current hours and availability before traveling.

If you cannot find what you need

Ask your local animal shelter, humane society or veterinary clinic whether it knows a pet-food pantry, temporary boarding option or transport program. Tell them your location, the help needed and how soon you need it. A referral is worth asking for even when that organization cannot provide the service itself.

For a medication or ongoing treatment cost, use the guide to paying for care and ask your prescribing veterinary team about the options for your pet.

Buying food or supplies?

If you are planning a purchase, compare ongoing care costs before choosing a seller or recurring order. If you need food or supplies you cannot afford, use the local-assistance options above first.

Online retailers such as Chewy and PetMeds are paid shopping options, not assistance programs. Your veterinary clinic or a local store may cost less for some items.