A month ago, the Pet Food Pantry in Auburn considered closing its doors as the charity's four directors looked at their empty shelves and wondered how they could continue to meet the community's needs.

Now, thanks to the outpouring of support that the group has experienced in the form of an estimated 700 to 800 pounds of pet supplies, they have been able to help community members in emergency situations as well as holding a giveaway day Tuesday that will provide pet owners with the food they need to get through the holiday season.

“A lot of donations have come from basically average people who just bring a bag of dog food, but it accumulates,” said Marvin McQuaid, the pantry's president. “Different individuals stopping by, bringing small amounts is what gets it done.”

Donations increased after the charity held a fundraiser Nov. 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Seward Avenue. That event, along with an article, helped to raise the community's awareness of the pantry's needs, Mary Lou McQuaid, the charity's secretary said.

Shortly after the event, Mary Lou received a call from a young woman who asked her when a good time to drop off donations would be.

“They came later that afternoon with $150 in donations and a touching story,” she recalled. “As the young woman and her mother were loading carts of pet food into their car, an elderly woman asked them how many pets they had. The two woman told her about the pet food pantry and how it needed all the help it could get.

“The woman took $5 out of her purse, started crying and said, ‘Here, this is what I can afford. Please buy them some food,'” Mary Lou said. “People are giving all that they can.”

Students from the New Visions Education Preparation program have made the pantry their service project for the month of December, Natalie Scavone, the program's instructor, said. The eight students in her class have placed decorated, empty boxes in five or six local schools as well as writing announcements that encourage students to donate to their pet food drive.

“I didn't even know there was a pet food pantry in Auburn,” Scavone said. “When I heard about their need, I approached my students about helping them.”

Throughout this fiscal crisis, there have been stories of people who have been forced to give up their pets since they can no longer afford to take care of them, she said. It's a hidden emergency that people don't think about.

The pantry strives to keep owners out of situations where they have to say good-bye to their pets, Mary Lou said.

“What do you do because you lost your job? You go and euthinize your dog or your cat? I'm sorry, he's a member of your family. People and animals need to stay together,” she said. “That's what we're all about. We're going to keep them together.”

“One young lady contacted the pantry after she and her husband had both lost their jobs,” said Shirly Haines, the pantry's treasurer. “They had three children and no way to feed their family. She wasn't even sure if she could make it three more weeks until the pet food giveaway, so we told her to come in as soon as she could to get some food.

“She was so thankful that she wanted to do something for the pantry,” Mary Lou continued. “She didn't have any money, but she knew how to bake. So she agreed to bake a loaf of apple bread to give away to the people who come for pet food.”

On Dec. 16, the pantry's directors estimate that up to 100 people could come looking for donations that could top more than 3,000 pounds of pet food.

“We just pray that we have enough to go around,” Mary Lou said. “You can't give away what you don't have.”