About  Ohio Paws with Purpose

Ohio Paws with Purpose (OPwP) was previously Willowick Pet Food Pantry. We began distributing pet food for dogs and cats in January 2016, starting with a skeleton crew of three volunteers (we now have 28 volunteers) and limited knowledge of how to run a pet food pantry or how to obtain donations of pet food. The first year we distributed a bit over 8,000 pounds of pet food. To date we have distributed well over 198,000 pounds (as of December 31, 2022). 
 
In addition to pet food, OPwP now has various programs including partial payment for spay/neuter of dogs and free spay/neuter for both pet and feral/stray cats, a medical fund, educational fund, vet program and a fund to assist pet parents help their pets cross the Rainbow Bridge. Ohio Paws with Purpose has issued 750 spay/neuter vouchers that provided this service to over 1,000 pets and feral cats.
 
We know that the pet parents who need financial help in caring for their pets would prefer doing it on their own if they could, so, we always try to make them feel comfortable and respected. To this end, we undertake small projects to achieve this objective. We have had many free of charge raffles where we donated gift baskets and gift cards, held small Christmas parties where the volunteers and some supporters provided gifts and cookies, had speakers, and a licensed massage therapist give chair massages.