Assistance Programs
Families Assisted in 2023
Updated March 1, 2023
Pet Food BANK
AARCS mission for the Pet Food Bank is to provide food and supplies under our Pet Food Assistance Program to ensure all dogs, cats and critters are receiving basic food needed for a healthy sustainable life.
AARCS distributes several hundred thousand pounds of pet food each and every year. This number is continually growing as we grow as an organization.
AARCS Pet Food Assistance Program has several facets within the organization with regard to food distribution. One area of the program is to provide pet food to remote communities where we assist with pets and where we provide support in other areas, such as spay/neuter assistance. As part of the Pet Food Bank, we also assist local families in Calgary and Edmonton that have found themselves in difficult times.
AARCS mission is to ensure pets are receiving basic food needs for a healthy sustainable life. We try, whenever possible, to help with additional pet supplies they may need including cat litter, toys, blankets, etc.
We have limited ability to provide specialty foods but will try our best to accommodate most requests. If you are in need, please fill out the attached form and a member of our team will be in touch.
Keeping Pets and Families Together.
WE ARE LOCATED IN CALGARY AND EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA and unfortunately do not ship. If you are not local, please try your local food bank or SPCA as they sometimes have a pet food program.
DISASTER RESPONSE
The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew (AARCS) and the Canadian Animal Task Force (CATF) have formed a partnership in order to combine resources and better assist animals, and their owners during an emergency. Together, we are able to respond to large and small scale disasters. Through this partnership the “Alberta Animal Disaster Response” (AADR) was born.
AARCS and CATF teamed up informally to provide assistance during the following events:
- 2013 Southern Alberta Floods with staff and volunteers assisting in Calgary, High River, Siksika and Morley.
- 2014 Rollover accident involved 30+ dogs requiring two weeks of tracking and trapping terrified and injured dogs.
- 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires where crews were on the front lines for three weeks assisting with animal extraction and care of over 1,200 of animals, as well as managing animal care in Edmonton at the Animal Reunification Centre.
Formally teamed up under Alberta Animal Disaster Response (AADR) we have responded to the following events:
- 2019 Northern Alberta Fires in the MD of Opportunity and Bigstone Cree Nation caring for over 300 animals.
Together our organizations have a very strong volunteer base, including Registered Veterinary Technologists, Veterinarians experienced with emergency veterinary care, experienced animal rescuers, animal handlers, logistics, dispatch, government relations and a large database of volunteers with various skill sets.
