Growing demand drives Montgomery County Humane Society’s pet food pantry
Weekly program serves more than 120 families amid rising costs, financial hardships
By
Jacqueline KalilJune 23, 2026 4:48 p.m.
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On a recent Wednesday, three count residents stop by the Montgomery County Humane Society’s Pet Food Pantry in Rockville within a span of 30 minutes.
One couple stops in to pick up food for their four cats, while another woman arrives seeking supplies for her dogs. Inside, staff members hand out pre-portioned servings of dog and cat kibble packaged in Ziploc bags and stacked inside large plastic storage bins. Nearby, a cart stocked with canned wet food offered additional support, helping pet owners stretch their budgets for another week.
“Pet food is getting more expensive every day,” Montgomery County Humane Society President and CEO Cris Bombaugh said in a phone interview with Bethesda Today on Tuesday. “If it’s giving food and sometimes cat litter to people who otherwise can’t afford it so they can keep their pets in their homes and out of public shelters, we want to do that.”
The steady stream of visitors has become a familiar sight at the pantry, which serves more than 120 families on a typical Wednesday and has become a critical resource for pet owners facing financial hardship.
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The organization’s Pet Food Pantry began during the federal government shutdown in late 2018, when furloughed workers sought assistance caring for their pets. The program continued through the COVID-19 pandemic and has since evolved into a weekly lifeline for hundreds of county residents facing financial hardship.
Operating every Wednesday from the society’s Rockville headquarters, the pantry distributes donated dog and cat food, treats and cat litter to pet owners in need. Demand has remained strong as rising costs continue to strain household budgets, according to humane society staff.
“We saw that there was a need for us to continue doing it,” Brian Glover, director of animal care and adoptions for the Montgomery County Humane Society, told Bethesda Today. “It’s just continued to grow.”
While demand has ebbed and flowed over the years, Glover said the number of people relying on the pantry has remained steadily high for roughly 18 months.
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Bombaugh said demand tends to mirror broader economic pressures. While the need fluctuated during the pandemic and its aftermath, she said requests for assistance have increased over the past year.
“The need kind of ebbs and flows depending on what’s going on,” Bombaugh said. “Certainly, there seems to be quite a need right now.”
The pantry opens every Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the nonprofit’s offices at 601 S. Stonestreet Ave. and closes when supplies run out.
The increasing demand has stretched the pantry’s resources. Staff members who once distributed full bags of pet food now portion larger donations into smaller quantities to ensure enough families can be served.
“We always run out,” Glover said. “We want to be able to make sure that everyone that comes can get it.”
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The goal, Glover said, is to prevent families from having to surrender beloved pets due to financial hardship.
“We would hate for something as ‘I can’t afford to feed this pet’ to be the reason that you surrender your pet,” he said. “Anything we can do to keep the animal out of here and in the home, that’s what we focus on.”
The pantry is one part of the organization’s broader mission to support animals and their owners, Glover said. The Montgomery County Humane Society works to keep pets with their families and help homeless animals find permanent homes. In addition to animal adoptions, the organization provides low-cost veterinary care, pet food assistance through its pet pantry program, behavior resources and other support services aimed at reducing barriers to pet ownership.
“We do more than just bring animals into the shelter and get them adopted,” Glover said. “We try to keep animals in their homes.”
Like many shelters and rescue organizations, the Humane Society has seen dog adoptions slow amid economic uncertainty. Even so, Glover said the organization remains committed to finding permanent homes for the animals in its care.
“We’re serious about that forever-home slogan,” he said. “We want to make sure that the animal gets placed in the appropriate home that’s going to be there for the entirety of the animal’s life.”
For residents who are able to help, Glover encourages donating to the pantry or another local animal welfare organization. Bombaugh said community support has helped sustain the program, with donors providing food and other vital resources that are distributed each week.
The pantry relies entirely on donations from community members and supporters, according to Bombaugh. The organization welcomes unopened bags and cans of dog and cat food, including food for puppies and kittens, along with cat litter and other essential pet supplies.
“We never have enough, and we do run out on distribution days,” Bombaugh said. “The more donations that we have, the more people we can help.”
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine