Can’t afford pet food in NJ? This free pantry lets you take what you need

🔹A beloved Hunterdon County cat sanctuary just opened a free pet pantry to help NJ families struggling with rising costs keep their pets at home.

🐾 Perry’s Pantry in Ringoes gives away free pet food, litter, toys, carriers and more — with no applications, limits or eligibility rules.

❤️ The pantry was created to honor a cherished volunteer who died after battling depression, and the cat who helped her through it.

RINGOES — Since 2003, Tabby’s Place, a cage-free cat sanctuary in East Amwell Township, Hunterdon County, has been caring for cats from hopeless situations, with a concentration on cats with special needs.

Free NJ pet pantry opens as families struggle to keep pets

At any given time, 30 to 40% of Tabby’s Place 100 residents have chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and paraplegia. The Tabby’s Place team strives to treat each cat with respect and compassion, while delighting their senses with bright, open suites, continuous fresh air, and an impeccable level of care and tenderness.

ALSO READ: Golden retrievers invade Lakewood for a day this summer 

While Tabby’s Place, located at 1100 Route 202 in Ringoes, can shelter 150 cats, they have yearned to help nourish and nurture many pets beyond its doors.

Foster team lead Tiana Thomas said she’s seen many shelters inundated with pets whose families can’t keep them due to financial strain or housing issues.

“So, we wanted to find a way to help pets stay in their homes, and one way to do that is to provide pet families with necessary supplies like food, medical supplies, and general care supplies,” Thomas said.

With that vision in mind, Perry’s Pantry was born.

Hunterdon County pantry offers free pet food, litter and supplies

Now open to the public, the pet food pantry makes food, litter, carriers, cat furniture, and other pet essentials freely available to neighbors in need.

Perry’s Pantry is named for Tabby’s Place alum, Perry, and created in memory of the cat’s adoptive mom, Kavita Gupta, a beloved volunteer at the sanctuary, who sadly passed away in 2025 after a battle with depression, Thomas said.

NJ animal rescue honors beloved volunteer through Perry’s Pantry

“When we were trying to brainstorm ways that we could support our community more, we were also thinking of her family and the way that we could honor her and her memory. So, we named the pantry after her boy Perry, who supported her through her battle. She is very loved and very missed by all of our volunteers and staff,” Thomas said.

At Perry’s Pantry, members of the community can drive up and take whatever they need. There is no limit. The pantry is stuffed with dog and cat supplies. For cats there is wet and dry food, litter, scoops, food bowls, fountains, catnip, enrichment toys, feeders.

For dogs, there is wet and dry food, training pads, toys, leashes, leads, harnesses, collars, and so much more, Thomas said.

Everything at Perry’s Pantry is free to the public. There is no limit to what each person can take. There is no application required to access the pantry, and no eligibility requirements, either.

How to donate or volunteer at Tabby’s Place in Ringoes

Perry’s Pantry is always in need of cat and dog food, litter, bedding, litter boxes, scoops, enrichment toys, and food bowls. Anyone who wishes to donate can do so by dropping off supplies at Tabby’s Place front desk.

There is also a special request form on Perry’s Pantry website. If there is something that the pantry does not have, but a person needs, they can fill out the form, and Perry’s Pantry will do its best to fulfill that request.

Thomas also said both Tabby’s Place and Perry’s Pantry are always in need of volunteers. Anyone interested can apply here.

Perry’s Pantry is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tabby’s Place is open daily from 12 to 5 p.m.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom