What People Are Saying
My wife and I have seven (7) rescues in house, five (5) dogs and two (2) cats. When we hit some hard times after moving to the greater Wilmington / Jacksonville area, we reached out to some of the local pet food banks for some help keeping everyone fed. We always made them a priority in our monthly food budget, which meant we also had to rely on local food banks to make ends meet.
The problem that the local pet food banks have is that the need is so great right now, they have to ration the amount of food they give to any one family. As one pet food bank put it, we cannot keep your pets fed, but we can help you with that responsibility. Believe me, we were very grateful for whatever help we could get.
Before long we hit that snag where we didn’t have any money for dog food (or people food!), and we were still a couple of weeks away from either qualifying for another bag of dog food from the shelter or one of our pension checks coming in (we are both retired and on fixed incomes). At that point I started combing the internet again to see if I had missed something when I found the other pet food bank.
This is when I found Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals, and realized that she provided food to pet owners who are trying to avoid turning their pets into a shelter, because they cannot afford to feed them. I typed out our story and how we collected these stray or abandoned dogs / cats, without ever having adopted at a shelter. They just found us, or found someone else who couldn't keep them, who found us. Further, this was our second (2nd) group, as we had cared for a group of seven (7) dogs and four (4) cats from 2006-2018. For some reason, Trish “got it” where others sort of missed the point somewhat.
When we met her for the first time, Trish made sure that we had adequate food for our extended fur family, especially since we always feel that we can somehow fit just one (1) more. She also made sure that we felt comfortable contacting her if and when we needed more food or other pet supplies, without setting some type of artificial quota that doesn’t always square with reality.
We feel blessed to have met her and this community is better for having Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals. It will be interesting to see where she takes this.
I am a social worker at DSS who is working with a family who has 4 pit pulls. The pups were in need of crates within the home. I reached out to Heidi's Hope and was connected with Trish, she was amazing! As soon as I sent the email, she was immediately responsive and eager to help! I met her at her pet distribution site where she donated so many amazing items for these pups! She was able to donate crates, pet food, new leashes and collars, doggy toys, a pet food stand, crate mats, stain remover, dog treats, and she even went as far as to make a stop at the pet store for some goodies for the dogs! I was amazed at how much she cared and was able to donate a variety of items. I really look forward to this partnership and can't wait to work with Heidi's Hope again!
I am a social worker with New Hanover County DSS. I work with families in the community. A lot of my families have fur babies too. Since Covid, one of my families have gone through financial hardship and at times, they didn't have the money to get their dog her dog food. Luckily, we have this program in New Hanover County that provides dog/cat food for families that can not afford it. All I had to do is let our Assistant Director-Mary Beth know that I had a dog in need and she contacted Heidi's Hope Pet Food Bank. This family was provided with bags of dog food, toys, treats, food/water bowls and a dog bed. I was blown away by the generosity. This family was grateful. This is a valuable resource for our community and families. Thank you Heidi's Hope Pet Food Bank for caring for our animals here in NHC.
Statistics report that about 60% of the seniors who get Meals on Wheels live with a pet. Our program, the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center has been very blessed with the partnership with Trish Arnold from Heidi's Hope for Homeless Animals, Inc. Unfortunately some clients share their meals with their pets for various reasons, mostly because they couldn’t afford to buy pet food. In some cases, our clients’ pet is their only family or companion. Studies have been documented that there’s a strong connection between pets and the elderly. Pets fulfill a need for their owners because they depend on them for care and attention. In return, the pets offer love and unqualified approval. Just petting a dog or cat can have major health benefits for seniors, especially those who are experiencing major life changes, such as illness or the loss of a loved one. For many seniors their pets make life worthwhile and for the pets many seniors provide them with life. With the pet food and supplies - beds, cages, collars, toys, and so much more, the Senior Resource Center has been able to better serve the needs of our vulnerable homebound seniors. Heidi's Hope for Homeless Animals has always been attentive to our needs, not just for cats and dogs, but for parrots, love birds, and guinea pigs, ensuring all of our participants receive the supplies needed.
We have been very fortunate to have this partnership!
Heidi’s Hope has been a fabulous community partner. We were able to provide food to many of our residents that were not able to provide for their furry friends. We were also able to provide our K9’s with beds. Wonderful friends at Heidi’s Hope.
Statistics report that about 60% of the seniors who get Meals on Wheels live with a pet. Our program, the New Hanover County Senior Resource Center has been very blessed with the partnership with Trish Arnold from Heidi's Hope for Homeless Animals, Inc. Unfortunately some clients share their meals with their pets for various reasons, mostly because they couldn’t afford to buy pet food. In some cases, our clients’ pet is their only family or companion.
Studies have been documented that there’s a strong connection between pets and the elderly. Pets fulfill a need for their owners because they depend on them for care and attention. In return, the pets offer love and unqualified approval. Just petting a dog or cat can have major health benefits for seniors, especially those who are experiencing major life changes, such as illness or the loss of a loved one. For many seniors their pets make life worthwhile and for the pets many seniors provide them with life.
With the pet food and supplies - beds, cages, collars, toys, and so much more, the Senior Resource Center has been able to better serve the needs of our vulnerable homebound seniors. Heidi's Hope for Homeless Animals has always been attentive to our needs, not just for cats and dogs, but for parrots, love birds, and guinea pigs, ensuring all of our participants receive the supplies needed.
We have been very fortunate to have this partnership!
I am a case manager for Brunswick Senior Resources which provides services and resources for seniors in Brunswick County NC. I am thrilled to be a partner with Heidi's Hope for Homeless Animals to assist the seniors in our community. Many seniors in the community are low income and just getting by so purchasing pet food for their fur baby is not always in the budget and I have often seen them sharing their food with their pets or going without something they need to afford pet food. Heidi's Hope for Homeless Animals provides a monthly distribution of pet food which I can pick up and distribute to the seniors in our community so that neither the senior nor their fur baby have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. The volunteers with this organization are amazing and made it so easy to receive the pet food needed within our community - Thank you so much to Trish and her amazing volunteers!!
One of our hunger-related programs at Good Shepherd Center is a weekly community grocery giveaway. This program provides free food, cleaning supplies, and other necessities to struggling households, especially families with children, the elderly, and those with disabilities. Thanks to Heidi's Hope, we have been able to distribute free pet food to those we serve so that they can take care of their furry family members, too!
“I am a social worker at DSS who is working with a family who has 4 pit pulls. The pups were in need of crates within the home. I reached out to Heidi's Hope and was connected with Trish, she was amazing! As soon as I sent the email, she was immediately responsive and eager to help! I met her at her pet distribution site where she donated so many amazing items for these pups! She was able to donate crates, pet food, new leashes and collars, doggy toys, a pet food stand, crate mats, stain remover, dog treats, and she even went as far as to make a stop at the pet store for some goodies for the dogs! I was amazed at how much she cared and was able to donate a variety of items. I really look forward to this partnership and can't wait to work with Heidi's Hope again!”
“I very much appreciate the contribution of the quality pet food that Heidi's Hope For Homeless Animals has provided for our organization. Thanks to this nonprofit organization we can continue to feed pets of the people of our community.”
“This organization is led by an outstanding, caring, loving leader with a passion for helping animals. All of the activities of this organization reflect this passion and it is a pleasure and honor to be a donor to Heidis Hope for Homeless Animals, Inc. I would highly recommend this organization to anyone interested in helping our animal friends. Your donation will be well spent!”
“Trish Arnold is the most dedicated animal advocate we know. We are so pleased to be able to recommend this nonprofit to all in the Wilmington area. May God bless the work of this organization.”
“This non-profit is very remarkable!!! Their number one goal that they strive to accomplish everyday is to better the lives of animals in our local community!! She does this by creating many different events, which not only brings the community together, but it also helps focus on protecting the animals who can't defend themselves! This is a fantastic non-profit and I most definitely recommend!!!!”
“For as long as I have known the founder of Heidi's Hope and prior to the founding this non-profit, Patricia Arnold worked tireless to protect, feed and find shelter for homeless cats and dogs. Heidi's Hope has been doing incredible work during the last few years and is now helping families keep and their furry family members stay together during this very difficult time in our history. This has a positive impact on the wellbeing of the owners as well as keeping the cats and dogs happy and healthy. I am proud to be on the Board for Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals, Inc. Heidi's Hope has raised and donated over $68,000 in donations to save the lives of homeless dogs and cats. Over the past three years, Heidi’s Hope has led a community-wide pet donation drive with over 53,305.03 LBS. of pet food and supplies to help animals in hurricane-impacted areas. In response to the economic impact of Covid-19, Heidi’s Hope for Homeless Animals, Inc. is creating a Pet Food Bank to keep people and their pets together! Donations and support to Heidi’s Hope make a great impact in saving the lives of animals in desperate need! Supporting this effort is a win-win!”
"We are so grateful for the partnership with us here at The Salvation Army. Getting food to homeless pets in the area is a wonderful resource and we are happy Heidi's Hope has filled this gap in our community!"
"We are so grateful for the partnership with us here at The Salvation Army. Getting food to homeless pets in the area is a wonderful resource and we are happy Heidi's Hope has filled this gap in our community!"