Lucy’s Pet Pantry hopes to help area families care for their pets

A 10-year-old’s desire to help animals has blossomed into a venture to help local pets and to help their owners have access to the supplies needed to care for their four-legged companions.

Lucy Eckert has been helping local animals since age 6 when she asked for donations for the Jasper County Animal Rescue League for her birthday instead of presents. Then after being crowned 2021 Junior Miss United States Agriculture in her age group this past fall, she was trying to come up with service opportunities to help out people in the community.

Lucy’s mom, Brittany, said their family was discussing options around the dinner table. They discussed collecting items for the food pantry when Lucy’s desire to help local pets shone through again.

“Lucy was like, ‘Well what about pets? What about pet pantries?’ And I said, ‘I honestly don’t know where there is a pet food pantry locally.’ So then it just kind of expanded from there,” Brittany said.

“I just wanted to help animals, the owners for animals so that they could get the pet food that they needed,” Lucy said.

The original idea was to collect the pet items and try distributing them through the Salvation Army. After getting the word out about the idea, the family had immediate interest from people wanting to help or interested in getting on the list to receive pantry items.

In a matter of about three weeks, the Eckerts decided to take the next step and create their own nonprofit using Lucy’s name. That’s when Lucy’s Pet Pantry was born.

Our mission is to provide pet products to residents within Jasper County, Iowa, during times of hardship. Through donations, we are able to provide many different pet products including treats, toys, prescription and non-prescription diets.

—  Lucy's Pet Pantry

They have been able to hold one supply drive in partnership with the Salvation Army, Hawkeye Stages and KCOB Radio for the annual Stuff the Bus fundraiser at Newton Hy-Vee.

Lucy’s Pet Pantry got involved in the event after Hawkeye Stages contacted Parkview Animal Hospital to see if they could benefit from the drive that they are working now with the City of Newton for shelter services. Brittany, who works at the vet clinic, said the manager didn’t feel comfortable taking the donations because those expenses were already covered.

“That’s when Lucy’s Pet Pantry really became a firm, we’re doing this,” Brittany said.

The items donated during that drive helped fill the shelves, but now nearly two months later, the shelves are looking bare again. Brittany is hesitant to do any full-fledged fundraising until the 501c3 paperwork is finalized because she wants people to get proper credit for their contribution.

Right now, Parkview has been very helpful to get the ball rolling for the pet pantry. They have a box for donations in their main lobby area and have allowed the Eckerts to store their donations in a storage area in the basement.

“It’s just the beginning. I would love nothing more than for this to just take off and for it to be huge for the community,” Brittany said.

Lucy’s Pet Pantry is a family affair with the board made up of Lucy’s grandparents, uncle and parents. They have seen a need and are hoping to fill that gap in the community. There is no pet pantry that serves only Jasper County. JCARL used to have a small pet pantry, but without it owners really don’t have access to a service of this kind.

“It just makes me sad to make me think owners have to get rid of their pets because they can’t take care of them. I want to help them so they can keep their pets. It feels good to be able to help them,” Lucy said.

As more pieces fall into place to make Lucy’s Pet Pantry a reality, the organization’s namesake really has no way to know just how much of an impact it could have on the community. As they get their own business cards and phone line for the pantry, Brittany said she has plenty of “whoa” moments.

“Her face each time that we get something new to expand or get a little bigger or something like that, I love to see it because I did something right,” Brittany said.

Anyone who wishes to donate can give items directly to the Eckerts or bring them to Parkview. They accept the basics like food, treats, cat litter but really will take all items related to pet care. They will find someone who needs the items.

Once they get the 501c3 paperwork finalized, Lucy and Brittany hope to host more fundraisers and pack their shelves with supplies. Starting a nonprofit during the pandemic has had its challenges.

“Nobody is going out and about. Things are being purchased online,” Brittany said. “We do have one person that sends us things from online stores. They just put in either our personal address or Parkview’s address, and they just put notes in it that says this is a gift for Lucy’s Pet Pantry.”

When considering the future, the sky’s the limit for Lucy and Brittany. They can envision a time when they can branch out into their own building, have volunteer staff to help, offer free obedience training and eventually help other counties besides Jasper.

But dreaming big isn’t without its hesitations. Brittany doesn’t want to shoot for a future that doesn’t become a reality. So for now, they are going to take it one step at a time and pray the venture will take off and the community will lend its support.

“I’d love to be able to help more people. It’s scary to dream and see a reality that doesn’t match that. It’s hard to say exactly where I want it to go,” Brittany said.

For more information about Lucy’s Pet Pantry, visit their page on Facebook, call 641-521-5892 or email lucyspetpantry@gmail.com.

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Lucy Eckert's desire to help pets has launched Lucy's Pet Pantry. With her family rallying behind the effort, they hope to become an official 501c3 nonprofit.

Contact Pam Pratt at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or pampratt@newtondailynews.com