We have embarked upon a transformative $1.5 million project that will finally enable us to find forever homes for dogs as a core service to our community. The project will also create a surgery center exclusively for feral cats to help control their population. These expanded services will be offered at our new second home at 2120 Columbia Avenue in Lancaster, just a quarter mile away from our current building.
How This Helps
Zoning laws don’t allow us to keep dogs overnight at our current building. Any surrendered or stray pup must go out the same day to a foster family. We just don’t have the space, staff, or volunteers to handle those turnarounds on a regular basis.
The new location is perfect for us. It is already zoned and licensed to have dog kennels. Stress-free kennels with opaque walls will house dogs until we can place them with a foster family—or their forever one.
The lower level will also feature a veterinary exam room and two quarantine kennels to ensure new arrivals do not spread disease to others. At least 200 dogs every year will find their loving forever home through Pet Pantry, repeatedly voted Lancaster’s Best Place to Adopt a Pet.
Lombardo $750,000 Challenge
Local philanthropists, dog-lovers, and Honorary Campaign Chairs Dena and Sam Lombardo are supporting the campaign with a $750,000 Matching Challenge. According to Dena, “We want to encourage others to support this important project. With this challenge, every new gift dollar is worth two dollars to Pet Pantry.”
The Lombardos hosted a public campaign kickoff celebration at their namesake restaurant in October. The event generated over $65,000 in new gifts and pledges! Thank you, Dena and Sam, for your generosity! To acknowledge their commitment, Pet Pantry will name our new location the Dena and Sam Lombardo Dog Rescue and Adoption Center.
Wall of Love
To help complete the new facility, you can honor or remember your favorite pet or animal lover on our permanent Wall of Love. Four sizes of plaques are available: $2,500, $1,000, $500, or $250. Choose from a dog bone, kitty head silhouette, or simple rectangle. The Wall of Love will be installed in the lower lobby of our new second home. Plaques must be purchased by December 31, 2025.
Surgery Center for Feral Cats
An operating room on the main level will enable us to dramatically increase the number of feral cats we treat. Trap–Neuter–Vaccinate–Return (TNVR) is the only proven effective method of helping to stabilize feral cat populations. They live short, hard lives and cannot be turned into adoptable pets. Addressing their needs has been one of our core services since 2013. The new site gives us the potential to go from performing 1,000 TNVR procedures a year up to as many as 5,000.
Treating feral cats only at the Columbia Avenue location will prevent the accidental transmission of diseases or pests to cats awaiting adoptions at our current home.
Exciting Donor Impact
As of January 7th, the Forever Homes for Dogs Campaign has raised $1,240,084 or 83% of our $1,500,000 goal. The funds will be used to pay off the purchase of the property, renovate the building, and support its first two years of operations. Thank you to the wonderful people and organizations that have already supported this effort to give more animals the life they truly deserve!
How You Can Help
Donors to date have made outright gifts, multi-year pledges, and even pledged a gift in their estate plan. If you have a desire to give to this new, wonderful facility and programs for dogs and cats, there is a way to do so!
Contact us if you would like to talk about making a gift.
If you wish to mail a donation to us, monetary or otherwise, you can do so at:
26 Millersville Road, Lancaster, PA 17603