A new food pantry dedicated to feeding cats and dogs of homeless owners will open Monday in downtown Los Angeles.
“The Dog Food Pantry will be located at the Skid Row Community Refresh Spot at 544 Towne Ave.
The new food pantry is the brainchild of Dr. Kwane Stewart, also known as “The Street Vet,” who has been providing free medical services to homeless animals on Skid Row and throughout California for nearly 12 years.
“The Dog Food Pantry will allow pet owners who are homeless or struggling financially to get the food they need for their animal companions, providing “adequate, consistent nutrition” for the overall health of pets, Stewart said.
While it’s officially called The Dog Food Pantry, it will also provide food to help feed the cats of Skid Row.
“The Dog Food Pantry was born out of the simple, years-long observation that unhoused pets need better and more consistent nutrition,” said the 53-year-old Stewart, who is based in San Diego but has provided free veterinary services throughout California and plans to expand to New York City next month.
“I’ve been providing free medical services for so long, but I had neglected the fact that nutrition is the key to overall health,” Stewart said. “Richard, a former homeless veteran with whom I’ve developed a friendship, helped me build the first pantry in my garage.”
According to Stewart, while there are services that come through Skid Row with pet food, it’s usually on a haphazard schedule, and in between, “the dogs are eating their owners’ food or scrounging off the streets. Consistency is key.”
Since January 2022, Stewart’s nonprofit, Project Street Vet, has been supported by Fetch Pet Insurance through a program called “101 Donations.”
Through the end of this year, Fetch Pet will match every donation up to $101,000 to help fund Project Street Vet’s efforts.
“The 101 Donations campaign has been a monumental success,” said Stewart. “Our growth over the past two years has exploded because of this effort. With the additional funding, we’ve been able to nearly triple the number of pets we serve. With myself and all of my talented veterinarians and nurses in other cities volunteering their time, we can stretch a dollar.”
Stewart’s mission to help the pets of those in need began in 2011, as the U.S. was still emerging from the Great Recession of 2008-2009. He’d been the county veterinarian in Stanislaus County in Northern California and was seeing more and more surrendered pets filling his overcrowded shelter. Many had to be euthanized, anathema to why he became a veterinarian.
“I’m seeing hordes of unwanted pets being surrendered by people who don’t have the money to feed them or take care of them medically,” Stewart told CNN. “It started to steal a piece of my soul. I thought about leaving the veterinary profession altogether.” Out of these feelings, Project Street Vet was born.
While the new Los Angeles dog food pantry is Stewart’s latest effort to help the animal companions of those in need, it’s hardly his first effort in the Southland.
Last December, he partnered with HolistaPet for one of his Skid Row pet clinics. It caught the attention of numerous local media outlets, eventually landing him an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show and a nomination for the CNN 2023 Hero of the Year Award. Stewart even received a call from a Hollywood producer who wanted to make a movie about the Street Vet’s life.
“The CNN (Hero) nomination, followed by the ‘Top 10 Hero’ announcement a few weeks ago, has been the most significant benefit to my mission since I began this work 12 years ago,” Stewart said.
“The visibility and outpouring of support has been amazing. I can’t even imagine winning the top award. It’s been quite a ride and an honor to serve these pets and their special owners.”
Those wishing to contribute to Project Street Vet through the Fetch Pet 101 fundraiser can do so at fetchpet.com/psv.
