October Shelter Helper Terry Woodfin, Don’t Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Pantry

As we approach Food Bank Awareness Week (October 14-20), AdoptAShelter.com salutes Terry Woodfin, one of the founders of Don’t Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Pantry (DF2FM). According to her friends and associates, Terry has a wonderful heart and unmatchable determination to help others. A few years back she noticed the lack of a pet food bank in the Ft. Worth area and was struck to do something about it. In 2008 Terry (who worked at the Amon Carter Foundation), along with WFAA program director Kim Pearson, and Bo Soderbergh from the Tarrant Area Food Bank, created the DF2FM. The goal of the organization is to keep families and pets together, even during these tough economic times.

In the early days, the organization operated through the Tarrant Area Food Bank.  Under Terry’s guidance DF2FM grew, eventually becoming an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and moving to a new location at the Community Food Bank.

By the end of the 4th year, Don’t Forget to Feed Me had collected and distributed close to 1/2 million pounds of pet food. Every day they hand out approximately 200 pounds of pet food to desperate pet owners.  This certainly couldn’t have happened without Terry’s determination and guidance. Terry continues to work full time at the Amon Carter Foundation but still manages to work many hours to help the food bank. Although she no longer serves as president (2009-2011), she remains a driving force behind the organization.

Don’t Forget to Feed Me remains an all-volunteer organization. Despite the advances, there is a lot of work to be done. DF2FM needs volunteers to monitor food pickup locations, work events, hold drives, and numerous other important positions. People can volunteer by emailing [email protected]

People in need may apply for pet food assistance at the Tarrant Area Food Bank.

This organization could not have been created without Terry Woodfin. It continues to thrive with help from Terry’s sustaining leadership and effort. Without her dedication and determination, many Tarrant County pets would either go to bed hungry or find themselves at risk of euthanasia at area shelters.

You can support the pet food bank by dropping off food at the locations listed at dontforgettofeedme.org. When the food bank gets low, pet food is purchased to keep up stock. You can donate badly needed funds through a PayPal account at the organization’s website or at their Facebook page. Of course, you can donate to this worthy organization whenever you shop online by choosing Don’t Forget to Feed Me as your AdoptAShelter.com charity and then clicking on your favorite online store.