WE KEEP ANIMALS OUT OF SHELTERS
On average, we feed over 650 animals EACH month!
Pets should stay with their loving families, especially when their owners face difficult times. We help by providing life-saving food, supplies, special grants for emergency veterinary care, and more!
RECENT NEWS ARTICLE:
Hand & Paw Continues Its Mission to Feed Pets in Need
For many families in our community, the rising cost of living has made it difficult to keep food on the table—let alone in their pets’ bowls. Hand & Paw, a local nonprofit based in Star, is working to bridge that gap by ensuring pets can stay healthy, fed, and with the families who love them. In 2025 alone, Hand & Paw helped feed 7,980 animals and distributed nearly 31,000 pounds of pet food. Since creating this charity in 2020, the organization has supported 20,540 animals, providing the equivalent of more than 200,000 pet meals. These numbers reflect not only the growing need in our area but also the generosity of the community that makes this work possible.
Each month, Hand & Paw hosts a free Pet Food Pantry for anyone struggling financially to feed their pets. The pantry TYPICALLY takes place on the first Saturday of every month from 10–11 a.m. at Life Springs Church in Star. Families can pick up pet food and basic supplies at no cost, no questions asked. The goal is simple: to offer support, dignity, and hope during difficult seasons. PLEASE check our EVENTS page for current dates and times.
As a 100% volunteer‑run organization, Hand & Paw relies on donations to keep its shelves stocked. The community can help by contributing pet food, treats, toys, leashes, collars, and other supplies, or by making a monetary donation to support bulk food purchases and emergency needs.
Kristina, the Founder and President of Hand & Paw, holding Peanut, a beautiful little girl who was once abandoned in the middle of winter in Boise, Idaho. Peanut has lived a wonderful life with our family since 2017.
New Swag
Want to support Hand & Paw and look sharp? Explore our new online store, featuring awesome shirts and hats. Proceeds from each sale are donated back to support our mission!
Behind-the-scenes tour of one of our Pet Food Pantry events
Our Founder and President, Kristina, is leading the tour and explaining how we help people and pets… And how you can help support our mission!
KTVB 7 interview with Kristina, our Founder and President
Kristina sat down with Mellisa Paul of Idaho Today on KTVB 7 (NBC) to talk about Hand & Paw. The segment was sponsored by our partner and long-time supporter, Dr. Jenny Norman of Ada Animal Hospital.
Watch to learn more about what we do for our community and why we do it!
What does your donation do?
When you donate food or funds, you’re not just giving a deserving pet a better life. You’re also blessing the pet owner and helping to reduce the number of pets abandoned outside or surrendered at shelters due to financial hardship. We love when people do their part and donate to help animals, especially locally here in Idaho!
We are a registered 501(c)(3) organization. 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes to helping pets and owners in need!
We are passionate about helping Idahoans!
The ASPCA estimates approximately 6.5 million companion pets arrive at shelters nationwide every year. Idaho takes 1st place for the state with the highest percentage of households owning a dog and 3rd place for the state with the highest rate of dog or cat ownership.
The Idaho Humane Society and West Valley Humane Society cannot save them all, especially when pets already have an owner/family. That’s where we come in! Hand & Paw serves as a temporary safety net to support pet families going through a financial crisis. We also help pets of homeless/displaced families.
Hand & Paw’s goal is to bless loving owners and their pets with temporary food or financial assistance to ensure beloved pets stay healthy, with their owners and out of shelters. We do this through the public’s support as well as some of our corporate sponsors like Northwest Pets and more recently Amazon.
How can you Donate?
The easiest way to donate is through our donation page or our Facebook page. You can also mail a physical check to our address listed on the Contact Us page. We also accept VENMO payments!
Many corporations have a matching program for donations to 501(c)3 organizations, where you can double the impact when donating to our organization. You just need to select our organization and donate!
We also accept physical donations from the local community via a collection bin at Northwest Pets (Meridian & Eagle locations).
Create a FACEBOOK Fundraiser for your Birthday or for any reason. Click here to get started!
We are always looking for additional donation locations and storage space so that we can meet the increasing needs of the community. If you are a business and would like to support our cause, please contact us via the contact form!
Please follow us on social media and let your friends know about Hand & Paw!
Get Involved
We appreciate you trusting us with your donation.
100% of raised funds go to helping animals and their owners!
Thank You to Our Local Supporters!
In the last year, Amazon.com has been a huge supporter of Hand & Paw. They regularly donate pet food and supplies!
Northwest Pets has been one of our greatest supporters since the beginning. They have a donation drop box for Hand & Paw at their Meridian location as well as their Eagle location. Not only do their customers donate items but so does the store!
Idaho Central Credit Union has been the bank of choice for Hand & Paw since the beginning.
They are a proud sponsor of Hand & Paw programs, helping feed more pets in need.
Kitchen Power Pop Ups and their sister websites below have been one of our most impactful financial supporters. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts!
