10/17/2026
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced that 22 food pantries will begin offering free pet food to help families keep the animals they love.
Starting October 19, participating pantries across all five boroughs will provide food for dogs and cats alongside groceries for their owners.
Families will be able to pick up both during the same visit.
Behind the announcement is a difficult situation familiar to animal rescuers. A family can love a pet deeply and still struggle to afford its next bag of food.
When household budgets tighten, that struggle can lead to a heartbreaking decision about whether they can keep their animal at all.
The program is meant to help before families reach that point.
Announced on October 15, the initiative includes $500,000 in city funding and brings together the Mamdani administration, the City Council, the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare and the Department of Social Services.
Six participating pantries are in Brooklyn, six in Manhattan, four in Queens, four in the Bronx and two on Staten Island.
“No New Yorker should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets,” Mamdani said.
Animal welfare organizations welcomed the effort, including Bronx Dog Haven and Animal Care Centers of NYC. Their message was clear. Helping people care for their pets can prevent financial hardship from separating them.
For someone visiting a pantry, a bag of dog food can mean one less expense they don’t know how to cover.
It can mean getting through another difficult week with their companion beside them.
And for the dog waiting at home, it can mean life continues in the place it knows, with the people it loves.
Sometimes keeping a family together starts with helping fill one more bowl.
