Pet foodbank in Grimsby reaches crisis point

The Blue Cross is finding it difficult to cope with a rise in demand but fewer donations of food

Pet foodbank in Grimsby reaches crisis point
Author: Andy MarshPublished 29th Mar 2023

A Grimsby pet foodbank is seeing a perfect storm of problems with higher demand, more people forced to give up their pets and donations almost running dry.

The Blue Cross is hoping more people will come forward to help source food donations.

Many rely on them and couldn't keep their animals if they didn't provide help.

It's also seeing a rise in the numbers of pets being rehomed as some people find they can no longer afford their upkeep.

Many families are in desperate need

Christina Poole is a veterinary nurse there.

She told us: "If we can keep those pets with their families, that also helps that impact on the rehoming crisis at the moment."

"A lot of people, their pets are part of their families and for some people it's the only company they have."

"For other people they don't have children they have pets instead, they're a massive part of their lives."

"We're supporting so many families that are in desperate need at the moment."

People from all walks of life are asking for our help

"These animals have been with the families for a long time, circumstances have changed, cost of living crisis has hit home really hard for some people."

"It's a vital support for a lot of families out there at the moment."

"We've got a purpose built converted shipping container where we run our pet foodbank from."

"We have a dedicated friendly team out there, they're completely non judgemental."

"We see people from all walks of life coming for our help and everybody is welcome."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.