A Rhode Islander is Helping Pet Owners Who Struggle to Afford Food for Their Animals

A Rhode Islander is Helping Pet Owners Who Struggle to Afford Food for Their Animals

Lex Fisher knows what it is like not to be able to afford food for her “fur family.”

Fisher, who grew up in Warren and now resides in Providence, says she has always been an animal lover, and she was deeply involved in the rescue world in Rhode Island nearly twenty years ago. 

Then, she said, she hit rough times. 

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“Around 2008, my grandmother got really sick, and I almost dropped out of college,” said Fisher. “It was either school or [animal] rescue; I took care of my grandmother until 2018.”

Fisher continued with her studies and said she had gotten a job with Amazon — before getting hurt. 

“I was out of work for a year, and then it was COVID,” said Fisher. “I was faced with not being able to provide for my pets. I was destroyed. I looked for resources to help my animals and was shocked that I couldn’t find any.” 

“Luckily I had friends who helped pave the way. I never want to have someone in the position I was in,” said Fisher. “If I didn’t have the friends I had, I wouldn’t have made it.”

It was then, said Fisher, she knew she wanted — and needed — to help others like her, along with their pets. 

 

Launching the “Purrfect” Pantry

Fisher said she wanted to launch a nonprofit to help provide pet food to Rhode Islanders in need, and a “Pawfect Pantry” was born in 2021. 

“I created it in 2021 and got the EIN,” said Fisher. “In the beginning it was hard — for the first six months, I was putting in my own finances."

The way the “Pawfect Pantry” works, is those people who are in need of pet food supplies can go to the website to learn how to go through an application process, which according to Fisher, is rigorous. 

Pet owners who sign up need to be responsive and respectful of appointment times to receive food; participants are not allowed to acquire new pets while taking part in the program. It is focused on low-income, veteran, and elderly individuals. 

“Once people saw it was getting established, we really started to get donations in,” said Fisher, who has partnered with the Little Blessing Box in Cumberland and St. Mary’s of the Bay in Warren. 

Now, Fisher is continuing to spread the "Pawfect Pantry's" reach, and is in the process of pursuing a 501(c)3 nonprofit designation. 

 

Next Steps and Needs

Fisher says she now gets donations from such businesses at the Rumford Pet Express and Pet Smart — and her newest endeavor is in the homemade pet food space. 

"One of my volunteers — she has a dog Stella, and she’s allergic to everything but the sun. She’s so sensitive. She can’t have anything I have at the pantry," said Fisher. "I saw this was common among elderly animals — so we bought a very expensive dehydrator and are now doing one-ingredient dog treats." According to Fisher, the proceeds from the dog treats got back into the "Pantry." 

Most weekends, Fisher can be found at Farm Fresh events on Sims Avenue, as she continues to spread the word about her mission. 

For Fisher, the Pantry is a passion project, as she continues to pursue a degree as a registered nurse.

"I could really use some more volunteers," said Fisher, when asked how people can help. 

"For me, this is just super important — it’s why I work with who I do, especially the elderly," said Fisher. "For some people who have a pet it might be their only 'person' that they see on a daily basis. That’s everything for them. For them to give that up that’s not an option. I just want to make sure as many people know about what I'm doing as possible."

Find out how to "make a difference" here.