Haywood Animal Welfare Association delivers 1,600 pounds of pet food per week to the local pantries and assists some cat colony caretakers with cat food.  

The pet food distributed through the pantries advertizes HAWA’s low-cost spay/neuter program.  This year the number of spay/neuter surgeries provided at no cost has increased dramatically.  All Haywood County pet owners can use HAWA’s service but most of the clients HAWA serves are low-middle to low-income people who cannot afford regular vet fees. Forty percent of the surgeries provided in November were fully subsidized by HAWA with the owners paying for the rabies vaccination.

“Life is good for so many of us but the fact is that the economic climate has forced many people in our community to turn their pets over to the Animal Services Shelter because they can no longer afford to keep them,” says Penny Wallace, HAWA’s executive director. “To prevent as many such tragedies as possible, HAWA volunteers labor in a shed without any form of climate control to provide as much pet food as possible to three county food pantries to help pet owners through tough times and keep their pets.”

To help HAWA keep this service to the community going, mail your gift marked “pet food” to HAWA, PO Box 992, Waynesville, N.C., 28786, or you can drop gifts and pet food off at HAWA’s office at 145 Wall Street in Waynesville. Call 828.452.1329 for more information and/or directions.