NYC to offer free dog and cat food at 22 city-funded pantries

Starting Oct. 19, New Yorkers struggling with rising costs can pick up free dog and cat food at 22 city-funded food pantries across all five boroughs, under a $500,000 program announced by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration.

New Yorkers who are struggling to make ends meet will be able to pick up free dog and cat food at 22 city-funded food pantries across all five boroughs starting Sunday, Oct. 19. The city is putting $500,000 toward the program, which lets families collect pet food on the same trip they make for their own groceries.

The initiative was announced Oct. 15 by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City Council, the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare and the Department of Social Services, which oversees the pantry network.

Keeping pets with their families

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (file photo)

“No New Yorker should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pets,” Mamdani said. Officials said rising living costs can force families to give up their animals, and the program aims to keep pets with the families who love them.

Social Services Commissioner Erin Dalton noted that people will often skip their own meals before letting their animals go hungry. Allie Taylor, director of the Mayor’s Office of Animal Welfare, said, “Animal welfare and human well-being are deeply connected.”

Where to find pet food

The participating pantries include six in Brooklyn, six in Manhattan, four in the Bronx, four in Queens and two on Staten Island. Among them are New York Common Pantry and Part of the Solution in the Bronx, River Fund and Hour Children in Queens, St. John’s Bread and Life and The Campaign Against Hunger in Brooklyn, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen in Manhattan and Project Hospitality on Staten Island. Residents are advised to check each pantry’s hours before visiting.

Part of a wider food push

The program is part of a broader push to expand food assistance. The administration and the Council have allocated $78 million for food distribution in fiscal year 2027, and Mamdani tripled baseline funding for the Community Food Connection program, which supports more than 700 food pantries citywide. The city also partnered with the Council to invest in spay and neuter services.

Few places in the city currently offer free pet food, and animal welfare groups such as Bronx Community Cats have pointed to recent changes to SNAP food benefits as a growing concern for low-income pet owners.

NYC to offer free dog and cat food at 22 city-funded pantries