Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Nelson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Bretta’s Pantry was created when I, Shelter Manager Carrie, lost my dog Bretta to bone cancer. She was 15 years old and has been with me as a puppy since I picked her up at the local grocery store.
When she passed, I wanted to keep her memory alive and help the community at the same time. At Precious Paws, we had a lot of calls each day asking if we could help a person with cat or dog food. It was a need in the community and the idea of a pantry was forming.
I had help cleaning the back part of our building to make it a pantry area. Mary Jean (MJ) hopped on board to run the pantry and she volunteer’s twice a week to keep it open.
Bretta’s Pantry opened in November, 2021 and currently, we serve over 200 cats and dogs each month.
All food is donated by big box stores and the community.
Bretta’s Pantry is open Monday and Thursday from 11 am – 1 pm.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We had some struggles along the way. We had an overwhelming response for help and currently have to cut down on the amount of food each person receives.
We have also ran out of hard cat food at times and our volunteers at the shelter have purchased the food so the pantry stays full.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Precious Paws is not city owned. We are a professional managed volunteer shelter that runs on donations and fundraisers.
We host MN Snap on our property twice a year to help the community with low cost spay and neuters.
What sets us apart from other shelters is that for our cats, we have big walk-in kennels and double kennels with shelves that allow them to move around and not be limited. The cats have tons of playtime and socialization. Because of that, we know the cat’s likes, dislikes and everything else about them that is beneficial for adopters.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
We have a volunteer vet tech, Angie, on site and work closely with our shelter vet at Northland Animal Hospital.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pphsc.com
- Instagram: Preciouspaws_humanesociety
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/preciouspawschisholm
Image Credits
Carrie Nelson, MJ Lesch, & Angie Hanson
