New York City Now Gives Free Dog and Cat Food at 22 City Pantries

Twenty-two city-funded food pantries across all 5 New York City boroughs began offering free dog and cat food on October 19, according to an October 15 announcement from the Office of the Mayor. The city says this is the first time it has supplied pet food at city-funded pantries — and the first time public money, not private donations, has paid for it at this scale locally.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Council, the Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare (MOAW) and the NYC Department of Social Services (DSS) jointly run the program. The administration and council have allocated $78 million for food distribution in fiscal year 2027, plus an additional $500,000 specifically to stock pet food at participating pantries.

"No New Yorker should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets," Mamdani said in the release.

Where can residents get the food?

The distribution covers the full city: 6 pantries in Brooklyn, 6 in Manhattan, 4 in the Bronx, 4 in Queens and 2 on Staten Island. Residents pick up pet food on the same trip they make for groceries. The release lists each location by borough but does not describe eligibility requirements or a sign-up process.

DSS Commissioner Erin Dalton framed the need plainly: "For many of us, our pets are family. And when money gets tight, we know people will skip their own meals before letting their animals go hungry." She said the new city funding lets families collect pet food at 22 pantries in one trip.

Why the city is doing it

The mayor's office describes the cost of feeding a pet as a burden that can push families to surrender an animal as living costs rise. Officials position pantry pet food as surrender prevention, not charity.

"Animal welfare and human well-being are deeply connected," MOAW Director Allie Taylor said.

Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) backed the announcement. "This initiative is about so much more than providing pet food. It's about reaching New Yorkers where they are and reminding them that they don't have to face difficult times alone," ACC President and CEO Risa Weinstock said.

Heather M. Butts, former chair and current member of the Staten Island Hunger Task Force, reported the same pattern on the ground: "Staten Island families have told us that their pets are family and they will skip their own meals to feed them."

The administration also partnered with the council to invest in spay and neuter services as part of the city's animal safety net; the release does not specify an amount. Separately, Mamdani tripled baselined funding earlier this year for the DSS Community Food Connection program, which supports more than 700 food pantries citywide.

How does this compare with other programs?

The funding mechanism sets New York apart. The city uses its own funds at pantries where residents already shop. Other programs have relied on donated food or private money.

Nonprofits have distributed pet food through human food banks for years:

• PetSmart Charities partnered with Feeding America starting in 2017 to move pet food through partner food banks.
• As of 2023, more than 113 Feeding America food banks offered pet food alongside human food and household essentials.
• As of September 2025, PetSmart Charities reported its partnerships with Feeding America, Meals on Wheels America and other organizations had provided more than 400 million pet meals.

New York City ran a smaller, privately funded version before. In 2018, Food Bank for New York City and the ASPCA launched a 3-year, $300,000 program offering free dog and cat food at more than 254 pantries across the 5 boroughs, paid for by an anonymous donor.

Other local governments tie pet food help to animal services or senior services. Washoe County Regional Animal Services in Nevada partners with the SPCA of Northern Nevada on a monthly free distribution for residents 60 or older, with the SPCA donating most of the food. In Knox County, Tennessee, a 2025 pet food drive supported Feed-A-Pet, which serves residents 60 or older with annual income below 150% of the federal poverty level — and requires participating pets to be spayed or neutered and current on vaccines. Rockingham County, North Carolina, offers emergency pet food by appointment, up to 5 animals per month per family, based on donation availability.

What is happening at the state level?

Lawmakers in two states have proposed statewide pilots:

• New York Assembly bill A10566, introduced March 13, 2026, would create a pet food bank pilot providing cat and dog food to owners facing financial challenges, running at least 1 year. It would also shield good-faith donors and distributors from liability. The bill went to the Assembly Committee on Agriculture the day it was introduced.
• New Jersey Senate bill S3027, sponsored by Sens. Benjie E. Wimberly and Angela V. McKnight, would direct the state Department of Health to establish a similar pilot and appropriate $1 million. Within 1 year of implementation, the department must report to the governor and legislature on whether to make the program permanent or disband it.

For pet owners outside New York City, Feeding America advises contacting a local food bank to ask about pet food assistance. If the state pilots advance, public funding for pet food could move from one city's experiment to a regional standard.