HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) –Danielle Kelvey is supporting pet owners in Christian County by creating a judgment free, no cost pet pantry at her dog grooming business this spring.

She launched Clippendale’s Dog Grooming LLC in 2020, and moved into a brick-and-mortar location in Hopkinsville in 2023. Her passion for animals and interest in grooming originally stemmed from her family’s creation of Max’s Hope Pet Rescue in 2011. “My mom started that, and ever since I’ve just been in love with everything animals,” Kelvey told Christian County Now.

After building relationships with pet owners over the years, she has seen an increased amount of pet owners who require extra financial assistance. She saw people bravely reaching out on community Facebook groups asking for assistance with purchasing pet food, which does not always prompt positive responses. After seeing these posts, she started brainstorming ways they could help out these families to prevent people from surrendering a lifelong pet while they deal with financial issues.

“I’ve seen so many people have to turn their animals over to Max’s Hope within the last year or so simply because of the economy,” Kelvey explained. “We have so many people here who have pets and are on fixed incomes or are single parents. If they have to decide between feeding their kids and feeding their dogs, we know it has to be the kids.”

When it’s completed, the pantry will be filled with free pet food, treats and other care items like toys, collars, harnesses, and leashes. This will allow people to grab the items they need without judgment. Larger items that may not fit in the box will be held inside the businesses, with a note inside the box to redeem it.

The pantry should be built and operational at the beginning of March, and people in the community will be able to contribute items as well. New and opened, unexpired bags of pet food will be accepted. Open bags will be broken up into smaller batches and resealed. Items for other pets like hamsters, cats, lizards, and birds will also be accepted.

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