Pet Food Bank

APA makes appointments for people to pick up food from the pet food bank. We distribute food on the weekends. To schedule an appointment, call 575-644-0505.  You must have an appointment to receive food; walk-ins are not accepted. We give food out no more to qualified recipients no more than eight times a year.

To date, we have distributed more than 211,000 pounds of food and pet supplies--such as collars, leashes, dog houses, and brushes/combs--to more than 750 needy families.  The average pounds per month we distribute is 10,000, and we help approximately 40 families per week.
In 2009, we distributed more than 40,000 pounds of food; in 2010, we distributed close to 63,000 pounds of food; and in 2011, we distributed more than 108,000 pounds of food.

APA also provides food to small rescues and other agencies that serve no- to low-income populations, such as The Community of Hope and the Casa de Peregrinos emergency food bank.  We are seeking similar partnerships with other organizations as well.  We thank our volunteers, who help us each weekend with our pet food distributions.

Pet Food Bank location

Our pet food bank is at 901 Pinon (on the corner of Pinon and Santa Fe).  We do not have regular operating hours; you have to call us for an appointment to pick up food at 575-644-0505.

Thanks to Leasing Services, Inc., for their support with helping us secure this unit.  And, thanks also to Wild West Pest for their donated extermination services. 

Food bank qualifications

Recipients are asked to fill out a detailed application the first time they receive our services.  They are asked to bring proof of their residency in our county by showing an ID or utility bill in their name that verifies the address on their application.  They are also asked to bring documentation and/or proof of need, which can be in the form of a pay stub showing income or proof of their receiving other assistance. 

Each applicant is given the opportunity to explain and prove their circumstances.  The food bank is intended to help during times of economic distress as opposed to long-term. 

After a client has been using our program for a long time, we make a home visit to ensure that the pets we are helping are not living in inhumane conditions.  We want to help address issues and teach people how to better care for their pets, if necessary.  We also like to visit with and take pictures of the actual cats and dogs we are helping.

Pet food bank clients Ameena and Texas are cuddled up for a nap.

This decorated van belongs to APA's president and director, Michel Meunier, which she uses to haul her dogs around and for her volunteer APA work.

We need your support 

You can donate online via PayPal at the following link, or visit our Donate/Volunteer page for more donation options.

Vaccination Clinics

APA has been providing free rabies vaccinations to existing pet food bank clients at our pet food bank location; this is made possible from a vet care assistance grants from the PETCO Founation and the ASPCA.  Our contracted veterinarian also provides other low-cost vaccinations, puppy/kitten de-worming and heartworm-preventative medications. 

We also held two clinics in Radium Springs, one in Hatch, and two in Las Cruces in 2011; some of these were held in partnership with other groups, such as HSSNM.  Via all the clinics we held in 2011, we helped vaccinate more than 1000 animals. 

For more information or to get on the list for future pet food bank client clinics, call us at 575-644-0505. 

Other services we offer
as funding & resources allow

• Outreach education via information tables and events 
• Vet care assistance
  (including vaccination and spay/neuter support for pet food bank clients)
• Low-cost vaccination clinics for low-income pet guardians
• Former abused dogs rescue
• Chained-dog assistance
• Feral cat advocacy and support
• Pit bull advocacy and support
• No Kill advocacy and support
• Networking and other assistance for animals in need of homes, lost/found, etc.

Paying it forward

For able-minded and bodied recipients needing our help for more than six months in a row who are already responsible pet guardians, they are asked to donate their time or talents to APA's efforts in the community.  Long-term recipients who are not already being responsible are asked to update their pets' vaccinations and spay/neuter in order to keep receiving our support.  When our funds allow, we assist food bank clients with vaccinations and spay/neuter SNAP co-pays.  Some receipients are also asked to improve pet living conditions, if needed.  We review each applicant's status continually to keep their information current and to be sure we are helping those that need assistance the most. 

The main goal of the pet food bank is to keep animals with their families, keep them from suffering, and reduce the intake at our overburdended municipal animal shelter.  We ask people to think of our shelter as a place of last resort for animals, not a place where animals should be dumped off on a regular basis.  If anyone needs help rehoming animals because they have too many, we can assist with this as well by getting the word out to the local animal rescue network and by posting animals on our Animals in Need page.

See our Downloads & Testimonials page for flyers and forms you can download and print from this website, such as our food bank application and our volunteer release form.

We strongly encourage responsible guardianship

APA actively promotes responsible pet guardianship to all of its program recipients.  By receiving food or other support from us in their of econimic need, people agree to meet their pets’ basic physical and social needs (fresh food and water daily, adequate shelter, and companionship/attention).  We are here to help companion animals only--not any animals people use for monetary or other gain, such as only for utilitarian uses (guard dogs, etc.).  We also do not help breeders.

We also counsel people on keeping their vaccinations up-to-date and to spay and neuter all their pets in order to give back to the community who is generously providing the food and funds to purchase food.

We ask that people contact us about their pet care issues or questions.  We have information about programs, services, pet behavior and training, and other non-profit groups in the area.