A young woman who set up a pet food bank to help struggling Brits amid the cost of living crisis has given out 16,000 meals in nine months - but says rent costs have left the future of the project in jeopardy.
Tyesha Muncaster, 24, started A Helping Paw Pet Food Bank, in Ashington, Northumberland, last July to prevent people from being forced to give up their beloved companions.
After helping 40 animals in the first three days, and hundreds more that month, the demand soared and pet owners found themselves depending on her free care packages.
Tyesha told the Mirror: "We rely completely on donations and it can be a struggle to pay the £100 rent for our storage container. It gets towards the end of the month and we're often asking people to help."
Tyesha recently began storing her pet food supplies - which are kindly donated by strangers - in a storage container that charges £100 each month.
She says it's a "massive weight off her shoulders" when people are able to send her money to help with rent, and she spends any surplus on extra food.
"We are really starting to see a lot more demand for our services. People tend to need wet dog food and cat food the most," Tyesha explained.
"It's been heartwarming. One guy with a dog and cat said to me, 'I don't know what we'd have done without you. They're the only family we have'.
"He's in a better place financially now and he's donated back to us, so it's been a full-circle.
"Another person asked us where they can go to rehome their cats. That's what we try to prevent so we're providing ongoing support for them."
A new study by the PDSA has revealed that 770,000 owners admit to going without necessities in order to keep caring for their pets.
With the help of pet food banks, like Tyesha's, households with animals can still afford to feed and wash themselves.
"A lot of the people we speak to thought the cost of living crisis would've slowed down by now - but it's only getting worse," Tyesha said.
"How long is this going to go on for? It's always a worry that we won't be able to continue long-term. What if people can't afford to support us anymore?"
A Helping Paw supports roughly 50 pets a week and is run by three volunteers, who all have full-time jobs.
Tyesha originally got the idea for the food bank after posting a Facebook status offering local cat owners some leftover kitten pouches.
Her two cats, Oreo and Milo, had moved onto adult food and she thought someone would be able to make use of the remaining pouches, instead of throwing them away.
"The response was absolutely amazing and I realised there was a high demand out there for pet food," Tyesha said.
Tyesha now welcomes "all animals from cats and dogs to rabbits and even a bearded dragon".
Users are limited to two visits a month and are supplied with a week's worth of food at a time. All people need to do is message the Facebook page to collect a free food package.
Alongside juggling a full-time job in marketing, Tyesha has been working day and night organising food packages across Northumberland.
But it's all worth it when she meets and speaks to the grateful families she is helping.
"One woman was thinking about putting her pet down - she thought it was the nicest thing to do because she couldn't feed it," Tyesha explained.
"It's awful that people can't see any other alternative and I'm just glad we can help them."
Other people have found themselves reaching out to her near the end of the month, as they struggle to make ends meet before payday.
"People can go to our Facebook page and donate via PayPal or hand in physical donations," the 24-year-old said.
Cash donations help Tyesha to buy pet food when stocks are running low and also purchase specialist food for pets with allergies or dietary needs.
"One day I would love to go national and open hubs across the UK to help as many people as possible. I want to be the pet food bank everyone thinks about when they're in need," Tyesha added.
If you would like to help pay the rent for Tyesha's storage container, you can visit her PayPal page online.
Are you relying on food banks to feed your pet? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
