Every other Sunday, a big white van rolls up to its usual spot in Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park. In the back are a few thousand pounds of bagged dog food stacked like Tetris blocks.
There to greet its arrival is a line of barking huskies, labs, pitbulls, chihuahuas –– and, yes, people –– all waiting to get pet food and supplies free of cost.
This is the work of the Street Dawg Crew of Utah. As Utah’s homeless population grows, the nonprofit organization works to help humans by supporting their pets. It’s a pet food pantry serving individuals with low incomes or experiencing homelessness.
On this sunny September afternoon, a small band of five volunteers kept the Street Dawg Crew outreach event in motion. Laurie Christi, who has been with the group for less than a year, greeted some clients by name before asking about their needs.
“I find out how many large, medium or small dogs they have, if they have cats, and then how much dry food we give them,” Christi said. “And how many cans, how many treats, and if we give them litter or not.”
Her love for dogs drew her to the Street Dawg Crew, Christi said. She feels privileged to own and afford her pets, and she wants everyone to have the opportunity to have a furry friend’s love in their lives, no matter their circumstances.
“Imagine your own children and not having enough food for them,” she said. “For some of these people, these are their children. I mean, I just think it's very life-affirming.”
Pets can provide safety for people who are unsheltered on the streets by warding off potential threats. They also provide companionship, a sense of responsibility and unconditional love.
That’s the case for Robyn Davis.
“I rescued these babies; they’re my emotional support,” Davis said of her huskies, Chummer and Allora, who howled beside her. “There's no way I'd be without them.”
The group’s resources mean the world to her. That’s why Davis made the drive east to Salt Lake City from her home in Grantsville.
“We just have to wait ‘til we can scrape enough money to drive in here to come and get it,” she said. “But with this bag, we should be good for at least a month.”
Davis said there are still times their food supply runs short, but she always makes sure her dogs are fed.
“To make the dog food stretch, because it's so hard to get, we add chicken and rice and vegetables and whatever we can get that we can get on food stamps to add to it.”
Volunteer Micky Baker said these sacrifices are common, and he sees many people prioritize their pets.
“When folks don't have a lot of food, you know, they're going to prioritize feeding their best friends,” he said.
For him, volunteering is his way to help a big issue in a small way.
“I really love it,” Baker said. “I figure I can't fix homelessness, but I can at least help some best friends go to bed with full bellies.”
In less than an hour, the Street Dawg van is almost empty. The aid they handed out consisted of 1,700 pounds of dry food, 300 cans of wet food, 120 bags of treats and 190 pounds of cat litter.
Chelle Hilton-King, the crew’s director, said it was a busier Sunday than most.
“You never know what to expect,” she said. “We have our regulars, but every week there's at least a dozen new people, you know, if their check just happened to be short for some reason, there’s an unexpected expense, and they just need a little help.”
Hilton-King has been with the Street Dawg Crew since it started a decade ago. She said it takes up 20 hours of her week on top of working full-time. But when she sees the difference it makes, all that time is worth it.
“A few years ago, we had a gentleman that came through the line, and he actually gave me his one-year sobriety chip,” she said.
She thinks the boundless love of his pet helped make that accomplishment possible.
“You see people at their best, you see people at their worst, but what we see consistently is people trying,” Hilton-King said. “They are trying their best, and they are putting their pets first, and they do what it takes to get here.”
When one person is struggling, Hilton-King said the whole community is, too. That’s why the Street Dawg Crew will keep doing what they can to help.
