New pet food pantry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal wants to keep animals with their families + out of shelters

Tosca Hieftje, a retired attorney, has made it her mission to make sure everybody has enough food on their tables. She is involved in several volunteer organizations, and they’re “all about food,” she said. 

That’s why, when she noticed some food pantries have pet food — albeit a limited supply — and that families who are financially struggling were giving up their pets to shelters, she wanted to do something about it. 

She sprung into action and collaborated with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Southside Birmingham to create the St. Clare Pet Pantry, a volunteer-led effort to gather food for dogs, cats and birds belonging to families who are struggling to care for them. The new pantry will work in tandem with the existing food pantry out of St. Andrew’s. 

“I want everybody fed. People and dogs. I think we have a way to do it, and I would like to make Birmingham the city on the hill that can be judged for our kindness…We don’t have to have people go hungry.”

Tosca Hieftje

About 30% of the 5.8 million dogs and cats that entered shelters in 2024 were surrendered by their owners due to unforeseen barriers, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Best Friends Animal Society found that about 14% of surrenders were due to housing, which can include rental limitations, insurance restrictions, displacement or homelessness. 

In Hieftje’s eyes, food insecurity for pets is just one part of the puzzle when it comes to improving life for everyone. Pets are often considered members of a family in their own right, and families may not be able to handle parting with them during instability in their lives. 

Animals connect with all of us, she said, which is why she wants as many communities as possible — not just the Episcopal Church — to be involved. 

“I want this pet pantry to be universal and operate from our hearts, not necessarily religion…Everybody wants the same thing, you know? I think feeding the animals is common ground.”

St. Clare’s is still in the beginning developmental stages, but anyone who is interested in donating food can do so through the church itself, Hieftje said, since the new pet pantry is connected to the food pantry. She has a PayPal account set up for donations — all of which go toward food and supplies for the animals — at the email stclarespetpantry@gmail.com. 

To learn more, visit St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church at 1024 12th St. South. You can contact Hieftje at 205-200-5646 or stclarespetpantry@gmail.com. 

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