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Until The Kia Foundation opened its doors on Friday, Syracuse’s Eastwood neighborhood had no pet grooming services or pet supply stores. Now, the nonprofit is helping cat and dog owners afford necessities such as food, veterinary trips and household items.

The first of its kind in Syracuse, the pantry will offer grooming services and a thrift store for discounted pet supplies. About 200 people came to the store’s grand opening weekend, where the foundation hosted a giveaway event and raised donations, said Kate Berry, director of the foundation.

“We talked for a long time about actually getting a storefront to bring our programs directly to the public,” said Sam Washington, the nonprofit’s founder. “We’re hoping to spread the word about the organization and provide different services that others were missing.”

The storefront will provide services to the neighborhood that aren’t fulfilled by any other nearby business, Washington said. He expects the store to be an alternative to large chain pet stores for city residents.

Washington first got the idea for the nonprofit from his childhood pet-owning experience. It took a while for Washington’s family to adopt a dog given their financial hardship, with his single mother working several jobs.

The Kia Foundation has so far held three programs to provide pet supplies for Syracuse residents: a pet meal program, giveaway events and a fund for veterinary expenses. Sarah Lee | Asst. Photo Editor

When Washinton was 8, his mom got his family a Shar-pei and pit bull mix puppy named Kia. But in 2009, Washington’s family couldn’t afford the medical costs to keep his dog alive, so they had to put her down.

Motivated by the loss of his childhood dog, Washington created the foundation in 2009. In early 2019, the foundation became a service that delivers pet food at a discount to pet rescuers, foster families and about 70 owners. The program focuses on providing for residents with disabilities, elderly people and those who otherwise cannot travel to a pet store.

“It will bring a need that’s maybe a little unsaid,” said Kate Berry, the director of the foundation. “There are so many resources for people such as food pantries, especially for people who are homeless or in a hard struggle. There aren’t many resources for pet owners.”

Washington and Berry will both work part time in the store, along with a few groomers and volunteers. While securing the location wasn’t difficult, even during the pandemic, the hardest part of opening the store was finding and hiring pet groomers in the area, Washington said.

The Kia Foundation has so far held three programs to provide pet supplies for Syracuse residents: a pet meal program, giveaway events and a fund for veterinary expenses.

Up to 200 people came to the giveaway events at a time. As a safety precaution, the foundation paused gatherings for the spring and summer.

“We still do a lot of the (pet meal program work) out of our own house,” Washington said. “We started out delivering around 1,000 pounds of cat and dog food, and now we give away around 3,500 pounds per month.”

In recent months, due to the pandemic, more people signed up for the food delivery program, Washington said. Meanwhile, the number of available delivery volunteers has decreased, which created another reason to open a physical pet food pantry.

The pet food pantry started out delivering around 1,000 pounds of cat and dog food, and now gives away around 3,500 pounds of pet chow per a month. Sarah Lee | Asst. Photo Editor

Tina Fitzgerald has been using the pet food delivery program to care for her 6-year-old dog, Bella, who has health problems resulting from her broken leg. Fitzgerald has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair, making it difficult for her to leave her house. She plans to volunteer at the storefront to give back to The Kia Foundation and the Eastwood neighborhood.

“We talk a lot about people being able to eat, but there are a lot of people who would buy animal food before they bought themselves food,” Fitzgerald said. “With COVID-19, you can’t do what you normally do with friends, but you can surely have that same connection with your animal.”

The foundation relied on fundraising through its giveaway events to help pay for the pet food program. Washington said the money and donations raised through the food pantry location will continue to support the foundation’s programs.

“We’ve had to get creative. With fundraising, it’s everything to the programs,” Berry said. “We’ve found that people are willing to give to us because we’re able to give back to an area that needs assistance – which opening this store will help with.”

Published on October 11, 2020 at 10:45 pm

Contact Richard: rjchang@syr.edu | @RichardJChang1