Five amazing volunteers at Southwater Pet Food Bank helping struggling owners

The Southwater Pet Food Bank goes out as far north as Roffey, covers all of Horsham and the surrounding villages, as far down as Dial Post and Cowfold. It has found that many pet owners are, in the current economic climate, unable to afford to feed their beloved pets, with some even going without food themselves in order to provide for their pets.

Others may have got to the stage where they have had to give up their pets.

The group is looking for more volunteers as well as a permanent storage facility to keep collections.

Jillie Slope, who founded the organisation in October 2022, lost her son two years ago in a car accident, devastating their family and his friends.

She said: “I felt after lockdown that I couldn’t return to work where I had been for many years and decided to totally change my career from that of a trampoline coach to a dog walker. I had dogs both as a child and as a young adult, but I have always loved all animals.

"As a dog walker I have been able to also (after 15 years of badgering by my children) get dogs of our own, and it fits in well with my job change and our much older family. Although at ‘You Had Me At Walkies’ I only do solo walks, I love the interaction between the dogs and myself and also the pet owners and dogs that I meet along the way.

“I have seen first-hand the number of dogs being surrendered to rescue, as I volunteer at Arundawn Dog Rescue, and this is what made me want to set it up. I would be devastated if I had to give up my dogs. I could also see that my son when he was on Universal Credit, struggled to feed his pets and this inspired me to set up the pet food bank.”

They also work in conjunction with Billingshurst and Surrounding Villages Pet Food Bank too.

Jillie is lucky to have four fantastic volunteers who help her and without them she says she would not have been able to start it – Sandra, Claire, Amanda and Hazel. Between them they are able to collect and distribute to those in need.

Sandra heard reports in the news about pet owners having to give up their pets due to their circumstances and as an animal lover she felt strongly that she had to do something. She then saw Jillie’s post on Facebook asking for volunteers.

Claire also saw the message and got in touch. She said she absolutely loves it and the feedback they get about the donations both during and

after the drop offs, saying ‘it is so lovely but also heartbreaking at the same time’. She added: “If we can help pets to stay with their owners that is the best thing for not only the pet but the owner too.”

Hazel, owner of Hazel’s Happy Hounds, said: “No-one should have to make the difficult decision between buying food for their pet or themselves, or worse, rehoming their pet because they can’t afford to feed them. In my line of work, I tend to see the more privileged side of pet ownership so this was a chance to give back.”

The group started asking for donations on Facebook and managed to arrange for local vets, dog groomers and business outlets to accommodate donation stations on their premises. The list of donation points has really grown and is rising all the time. These stations are where the very kind and generous people of the Horsham area drop off any unwanted/unused or opened kibble, but it is also clear that donators are buying quite a lot as well.

One kind lady said she asked her family to buy her pet food for Christmas so she could donate it to them. The donations are then collected by one of the team and stored.

When they get an email, message or text from a pet owner in need they ask a few questions to ascertain what they need to get from the container and then can arrange pick up or delivery.

They are not means tested or a charity but a community group of five ladies/mums who also work, some full time. They only ask for a brief summary of your situation, what pets, how old, what they eat and how much etc as well as any dietary requirements and that it is the owner’s responsibility to check that this food is suitable.

So far, they have helped quite a few people, but with the high prices of everything including heating and following Christmas, requests have doubled. After dropping off much needed donations to some pet owners, Jillie described how she has sat in her car and cried, explaining: “It is just so heart wrenching what these owners are going through, but because of the donations we are helping them. It is an amazing feeling.”

Currently they have temporary use of a ship container which a man has let them use for free until the end of February, but they are looking for something similar or a secure, dry and rodent free space which they can have easy access throughout the week, preferably in Southwater or close by, if possible.

They have also been inundated with pet accessories too. Anything that they cannot use is loaded up and dropped off at K9 Rescue International which takes the donations to Ukraine.

Contact Southwater Pet Food Bank, by email [email protected] or by text on 07840 984830 and through their Facebook page.

Their Amazon wish list is here.