Pets at Home is launching new community food donation points in stores across the UK to help support pets and owners as the cost of living continues to rise. 

Pets at Home’s store in Prestwich is one of the first eight stores to feature the community collection points for those who wish to donate pet food to pet owners in need. 

In partnership with national pet charity Blue Cross, Pets at Home is seeking donations of dog, cat, puppy and kitten food, as well as food for small animals including rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters.

Donations will then be collected and distributed by Blue Cross to local food banks. 

The new initiative marks Pets at Home’s decade-long partnership with Blue Cross, which has seen the charity receive £471,703 through the retailer’s VIP Lifelines scheme. 

The donation points will be rolled out to all 450 Pets at Home stores over the coming months and will be kept in place for as long as they are needed. 

Lyssa McGowan, Pets at Home chief executive officer, said: “As the UK continues to experience a rapid rise in the cost of living, we know that pet owners will do everything they can to ensure their pets don’t miss out, but we also understand that some owners may be facing difficult choices as their finances become stretched. 

“Blue Cross and Pets at Home believe no-one should have to face the difficulty of struggling to feed their beloved pets, and we know that our customers are keen to help out wherever they can. This is why we are joining forces to install pet food donation points across all 450 Pets at Home stores in the coming months, working together to make sure no pet goes hungry and to help keep them at home where they belong, with their families.” 

Janine Madders, Pets at Home Prestwich Store Manager, said: “We’re excited to be one of the first stores in the UK to launch the customer donation points. I’m looking forward to raising awareness of the local causes we’ll be supporting, and I know our customers will donate whatever they can.” 

Chris Burghes, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Cross, said: “Pets are part of the family and we’re really proud to have partnered with Pets at Home on this scheme to have a positive impact on the local community in Hartlepool.

"We first launched our first pet food bank at our Sheffield rehoming centre in 2020, and now have pet food collection points at 33 of our sites. Over the coming months, we’ll be expanding this to cover all our 68 sites, and by teaming up with Pets at Home we hope we can reach even more pet owners who are in need across the UK as possible and keep families and their companions together.”