TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The need for pet food is increasing across the area. To help, Feeding Tampa Bay and Greater Good Charities, along with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay are all coming together to make sure your fur babies are just as healthy as you are at home.

Through these partnerships, Feeding Tampa Bay now consistently has supplies and food for dogs and cats. People can just come through the line and can pick things like toys, bowls, leashes, and the number one thing needed most; food.

81-year-old Joanne O’Brien has both dogs and cats at home.

“It’s really tough and a lot of us seniors share our food with our animals, like for breakfast like eggs,” she said.

O’Brien said the cost of everything has gone up.

“The price of pet food has gone way out of sight. at one time, you could buy a can of Friskies for 20 cents a can, now it’s close to a buck a can,” she said.

According to petfoodindustry.com, ‘Petflation’ hit a record high in January of this year, with the total ‘Petflation’ rising 0.3% from December 2025 and reaching 3.4% year over year.

So, while people are scanning the shelves for what to put on their dinner tables, they can now shop for their pets.

“There’s some dignity and it can lift people up to be able to take care of their pets, and not even to just give them food, but to be able to give them a toy or something nice for their pet. that goes a long way for people,” said Laura Littlebear, Executive VP of Programs for Greater Good Charities.

“That is such a big deal, we’ve been supporting pets for years, and their families, but it was very intermittent,” said Shannon Hannon Oliviero, Director of Public Affairs for FTB.

The need for pet food is something these organizations have been seeing a growing demand for.

“We feed nearly a million folks in Tampa Bay, and the number one request is pet food,” Hannon Oliviero said.

“I think every month, we keep saying, ‘it’s getting larger, larger, and larger.’ The need, somehow, it is even getting larger, larger, and larger. People need supplies for their pets, everything is so expensive,” said Regan Blessinger, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

For people like O’Brien, who spends her days taking care of other people and animals, it makes a huge difference.

“I just recently inherited a little dog that’s blind and partially deaf. I promised I wouldn’t put her to sleep, so now I have another mouth to feed. So, it helps,” she said.

People can get food and supplies for their pets every single time their Hillsborough and Pinellas County markets are open. For the information and schedule, click here.

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