Emsworth animal lover sets up pet food bank to help struggling owners feed their pets

PET owners struggling to buy food for their animal friends are being boosted by woman and her pet awards business.
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After receiving enquiries about where people could source pet food from in these financially challenging times, Mary Burgess from Emsworth decided to set up Pet Connect Pet Food Bank.

Mary, founder of Pet Connect UK which runs the Animal Star Awards and Pawsmouth Dog Awards, aims to help people who are struggling to buy pet food by delivering aid parcels.

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Donations have come in from sources including Nelly's Woofers pet shop in Fareham, which made a donation of dog, cat and rabbit food.

Mary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Donations of food ready to be deliveredMary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Donations of food ready to be delivered
Mary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Donations of food ready to be delivered

Nelly Moss, owner, said: ‘I wanted to help as I’ve seen on social media that people are struggling financially, I’ve been able luckily to keep my business open for all essential pet supplies but I know people will struggle to feed their pets.’

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Delivery of donated foods will be contactless and cover Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.

Mary, who also has food for hamsters and guinea pigs, said: ‘I set this project up because I wanted to help people that were struggling financially to be able to continue to feed their pets.

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Mary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Mary with her dogs Romana and Gracie LouMary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Mary with her dogs Romana and Gracie Lou
Mary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Mary with her dogs Romana and Gracie Lou

‘I had seen people on Facebook trying to rehome their pets because they said they could no longer afford to keep them.

‘By providing this service I hope to be able to keep pets at home with their owners by eliminating the stress they will experience by not being able to afford essential pet food.’

To donate pet food or receive a pet food parcel, contact 07796179792.

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Mary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Donations of food ready to be deliveredMary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Donations of food ready to be delivered
Mary Burgess, founder of Pet Connect UK, has set up the Pet Connect Pet Food Bank to help owners who are struggling to buy food for their pets. Pictured: Donations of food ready to be delivered

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