Like Meals on Wheels for pets, the Humane Society of Silicon Valley’s Pet Pantry program delivers pet food and supplies to those who need help providing for their four-legged, furry companions. Those pet owners include elder residents at PATH Villas at 4th Street, an affordable housing community in downtown San Jose.

The program reached a milestone on Jan. 24 when D.O.G, a pit bull owned by PATH Villas resident Alex Portillo, tucked into the millionth meal delivered by the Pet Pantry.

Portillo was homeless when he got D.O.G. seven years ago. The pair moved into PATH Villas in August 2023.

“If they didn’t accept dogs here, I wouldn’t be here,” Portillo said in an interview. “I won’t get rid of him for nothing.”

It was this connection between owners and their four-legged friends that inspired Destination: Home, a public-private partnership aimed at ending homelessness in Silicon Valley, to help build pet-friendly developments. The 93 units at PATH Villas, a development for formerly homeless seniors, house 40 dogs and 20 cats, according to Destination: Home CEO Jennifer Loving.

“A lot of our customers have animals,” Loving said. “Not creating spaces for people with pets was creating a real barrier” to housing.

So when the Humane Society asked about partnering with Destination: Home five years ago, the latter nonprofit jumped at the chance. The Pet Pantry now provides food, medicine and clinical services to pets at numerous Destination: Home developments.

“We started small,” Loving said. “Over time, we’ve grown to dozens of sites.”

In its 10-year history, the Pet Pantry has grown from a handful of people collecting in-kind donations to a program that provides free pet food and supplies to hundreds of low- or no-income and homebound pet owners. The program provides between 25,000 and 30,000 meals a month to pets in need.

To expand community distribution, Pet Pantry partners with local human services nonprofit organizations including PATH, a statewide homeless services provider and affordable housing developer. The program increased its reach by 30% in 2024.
Ling Jiang, community programs manager for the Humane Society, said there has been an uptick post-COVID in the number of families who use the Pet Pantry’s services.

“Our partners help us get our service into the hands of people who need it most,” she adds. “Pets are part of the family structure. Many people choose between feeding their pets and feeding themselves.”

The goal of the Pet Pantry, Jiang said, is to keep people from having to make that choice.

“We try to make the program as low-barrier as possible. If you’re a Santa Clara County resident, just bring your ID and show up to the warehouse” to pick up pet food.

The warehouse is located at Wrigley Ave. in Milpitas. It’s open Thursday-Sunday, noon-3:30 p.m.

Community members can support the Pet Pantry by donating at https://www.hssv.org.