The same day that Augusta Animal Services (AAS) held its pet fostering drive at its shelter on Mack Lane, it also launched its pet food donation drive, an effort coordinated alongside WRDW-TV and Art on Broad, with help from the Humane Society of the U.S.
Starting Thursday, several sites in the city became drop off centers for those with unopened, dry or wet cat and dog food willing to donate to those affected by Hurricane Helene without means to feed their pets. From roughly 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., through Saturday, there will be spots in the city for local animal-loving donors to bring pet food.
These locations are:.
- WRDW News 12, at 1226 Gray Way, accepting pet food donations Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
- The Mayor Garnett Johnson Campaign Headquarters, at 4104 Windsor Spring Rd., accepting Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Art On Broad, at 1016 Broad St., accepting Friday from noon to 4 p.m.
- The Le Chat Noir theatre, at 304 8th St., accepting Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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Starting at noon on Saturday, St. Paul’s Church, at 605 Reynolds St. downtown, will operate as a distribution center for these donations, giving out bags of dog food and cat food to those people who need it, while supplies last. Those who are homebound may call 311 for help arranging delivery of the food, as AAS will set aside a third of the donations for volunteers to bring to those unable to leave their homes.
More distribution centers are expected to open in the city, and the AAS will announce those locations once they are confirmed.
The AAS is expecting more contributions on Saturday, delivered from the Cherokee County Animal Shelter in Canton, Ga., which conducted its own drive to help aid the Augusta shelter’s efforts, and from the Humane Society is to provide some six pallets of cat litter, explains AAS Director Crystal Eskola.
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“We don’t want to pressure anybody in the community into giving, but we had just heard from so many people that said, ‘How can I help?’” Eskola said. “So this was just a way to give people an opportunity to donate if they wanted to.”
Columbia County has also organized a donation drop for pets: Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., donors may bring pet food and supplies to The Market, at 1000 Market St. in Evans. The county will eventually arrange a pickup for those donations.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
